Depuis le jour
by Blu V
Summary: "The moment I blew out those candles I wouldn't be the same boy anymore." A story about Louis Weasley dealing with life, love, and magic. SLASH.NextGen.Multiple OC. Please read and review! Disclaimer- I do not own Harry Potter
1. Chapter 1

**Section I: Year I**

Chapter 1

_**I remember the exact moment my letter from Hogwarts came in the mail**_. It was the seventh of April and my family, as is customary on one's birthday, surrounded me as I looked down at the cake under my nose. It was about the size of a muggle basket ball and was in the shape of a half moon with eleven flaming candles arbitrarily scattered about it. I looked at all of their smiling faces and out of habit I smiled back but inwardly I felt that my face should have been screwed up in discomfort.

The moment I blew out those candles I wouldn't be the same boy anymore. I would officially be a student of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and I had to wonder if I was ready for that. I spent many nights roaming the grounds surrounding my house desperately willing myself to be excited. It was finally my turn to experience the world's premiere school of magic. Thousands of kids before me took hold of this birth right and thousands after me sat waiting in urgency for their eleventh birthdays and there I was on the cusp of a brand new life with my tail between my legs. I couldn't help but feel as if I would be the disappointment of the family—the one bad seed. I had fears of becoming an outcast from the other students or even worse the target of their taunting. At a Sunday family dinner just a week earlier I voiced these fears to my best friends and cousin's Hugo and Lily.

"I don't see where you get this idea that you won't have any friends—I mean what are _we_ to you then?" Lily said as she ran her fingers through my blonde hair.

"You know what I mean Lily, what if all the other kids are mean?" I said quickly raising myself from her lap.

"So what if they are mean? We don't need the lot of them anyway. We'll be just find by ourselves!" Her fist was clenched around a handful of grass and her face turned a deep shade of red.

"But—"

"Turnip's right you know," Hugo interrupted not noticing the glare Lily shot his way, "Regardless of what may transpire between you and the rest of Hogwarts you can always take solace in the fact that we will always be by your side."

"Yeah…what he said"

I looked at my two friends and began to beam as they looked back with the same loving expression I knew so well. "You guys are right." Almost as if we read each other's minds we all put our hands in the middle of a circle we made and concentrated till a series of yellow and purple sparks began to appear. It was in a nutshell our secret handshake and it always gave me comfort knowing that they were right there with me.

That comfort however all too quickly disappeared as I sat at my dining room table staring down at seemingly harmless cake. Oh how I wished they could have been there by my side but as luck may have it there were at home with all of their families, also celebrating their birthdays. By the hand of Merlin all of our mother's went into labor on the exact same day and were each born not more than thirty minutes apart. However I was positive they weren't having the same jitters as I was.

I looked down at the cake with its candles still flickering at me almost cajoling me to take inhale and blow. After one more second I closed my eyes, reared my head back, took a deep breath, and released all of the air in my lungs on that cake. I kept my eyes tightly shut a few seconds longer than I probably should have for fear I would find myself on the Hogwarts Express should I open them. When I opened my eyes everything was exactly has it had been before except for the cheering and excitement that filled the room. My mother came over and hugged me tightly around the neck and my father sat at the other end of the table smiling at me with his scared face.

"And what do we have here?" My sister Victoire said going over to the window. A grey owl was perched on the sill pecking at the class and tied around its leg I noticed an envelope that was obviously for me. She took the letter from the owl and dropped a few gold coins in a pouch around its neck before sitting the letter down in front of me. I stared at it for a moment or two before giving in to Dominique's, my other sister, nudging.

Enclosed was a small piece of parchment embroidered with golden swirls and the words seems to glow like amber. To this day I pull that letter out from safe keeping to give it a once over and let all the memories that school had left me with come to the forefront of my mind. Again I hesitated before reading it and Dominique snatched it away in a fit of impatience.

"Dominique! Give the letter back to your brother!" My mother said in her thick French accent.

"But mother I want to know what it says and Louis is taking too long!"

"You already know what it says dear, you got the exact same letter when you turned eleven and you didn't see Victoire snatching it out of your hands."

"Well of course not because I knew how to read!" Dominique said talking out of her arse.

"I do know how to read!" I said in my defense.

"Then why don't you read it then?"She said holding the paper in front of my nose. I could fell a warm sensation in my cheeks as I glared at her. It wasn't that I had trouble reading it, it was just that I figured if I didn't read it then it wouldn't be real and maybe I wouldn't have to go. I just sat there looking at the beautiful parchment dangling from her finger tips as a smirk traced her lips, "See I told you! He can't read it!"

"Dominique!" My mother squawked.

There was water in my eyes at that point and I knew she could see it. She always took pleasure in making me cry because it was so easy to do. Ever since the day I could talk she made sure that she lived up to the negative stigma that is attached to the title older sibling. And for the longest time I did nothing because I'm not one to incite a fight with people or retaliate. I'm a crier. Through my watery eyes I could see that my mother was no chastising her for her actions but it was too late, the tears were already rolling down my cheeks.

"Oh look he's going to cry now! Just like a fairy!" At her last words my father stood up from his chair in a fury and my mother swiftly slapped her across the face, "It's true he's always crying like one and you know…" before she could finish another slap across the face. There was a long moment of silence in the room—my sobs breaking through every so often.

"Apologize, now." My father said curtly. My father didn't speak up much when it came to squabbles between us kids but whenever he did it was always in my defense. If ever in my life I needed an example of what true anger was I only had to imagine the look in his eyes when someone threatened me.

Dominique walked over to me with the parchment in her hands and mutter the words _I'm sorry_ under her breathe with the most intense look of loathing in her eyes. I knew she wasn't sorry so I didn't take the letter from her hands. I simply waited till she set in on the table in front of me. She turned back to Bill and Fleur with the same look in her eyes that she gave me.

"You always take his side." She said mirroring my father's tone before going to her room on the first floor through the living room.

Mechanically I took the letter off the table and said that it was okay to her retreating frame before excusing myself from the table. She had won again and on my birthday.

I cannot recall how long I had been crying but before my eyes had time to dry my sister Victoire found her way into my room. Ever since I was little she had always been there to be my shoulder to cry on when things with Dominique got out of hand. She silently came over to the bed and began to spoon me. She sat there holding me for awhile as my body quaked with each sob. After a while the crying stopped and we were left with only the sound of crickets chirping in the distance.

"Thank you." I uttered with a sigh.

"You really shouldn't let her get to you that. You know she doesn't mean it." She replied wrapping her arms tighter around my waist.

"But…" I choked on my words.

"But what?"

"Nothing…it's nothing." there was a dense silence after that lasted the rest of the night and before I knew it the sun light of morning began to beat against my eye lids and graze my skin with its heat.

As soon as I sat up in my bed the morning haze quickly lifted from my mind and the events from the night before came back to me. Along with them my anxiety about my upcoming attendance to Hogwarts and questionable sexuality reared their ugly heads. Those two topics seemed to coil themselves around my life squeezing every ounce of enjoyment out of it. From the time it took me to get ready to me eating breakfast at a silent table those two pythons followed me hissing at any attempt to think of something else. I looked across the table at Dominique who busy making work of her French toast. The more I thought about it the more I wasn't sure if she really knew of my sexuality. How could she when I wasn't even sure? I couldn't even recall where she would have heard the word seeing as homosexuality was not something discussed in the Weasley family. Among many things the Weasley's were traditionalist, or as traditional one could be with a werewolf, shape shifter, and Veela in the family.

By process of elimination it had to have been something that she picked up at Hogwarts. This new information did nothing to calm my anxiety about going there. It was as if my biggest feared had manifested itself at my kitchen table. She was a representative of what that school had to offer socially and to say she left a bad taste in my mouth would be an understatement.

"Hurry up with your breakfast dear, Harry will be here any minute." My mother said planting a kiss on the top of my head, taking me out of my train of thought. I had forgotten that Uncle Harry was taking the lot of us shopping. The parents all did shifts each year seeing as they all had work to do with the ministry or whatever they had going on. This year it was Harry's turn and I did not have any objections to that. I just desperately wanted to get out of the house and be in the company of Lily and Hugo. I wolfed down the rest of my oatmeal before rushing upstairs to get ready. I faintly heard behind me the sound of my mother scolding Dominique for something she had said involving me and Hugo. To this day I have no idea what exactly she said.

Diagon Alley was exactly as I remembered it. The streets were bustling with eager wizards and witches and their parents scrambling for sales on robes, cauldrons, and other school supplies. I looked down at the list of necessities in my hand and I couldn't have imagined I would need so much for my first year. The more I looked at the list the more I became nervous. Hugo kept assuring me that the amount of stuff on the list was not a reflection on how difficult classes would be…but in the same breath he would tell me not to think it was going to be a walk in the park. Lily was busy figuring out ways she could murder Dominique without being reprimanded. She had been at it ever since I told her what had happened the night before. Every time Dominique would say something Lily would shoot her a deathly glare only Medusa could match (whose head, according to Hugo and _Hogwarts a History: Revised Series Volume XXIII_, was somewhere in the school).

"I just don't see where she gets off." Lily whispered punching her fist into her other hand, "If I had been there—"

"You would have done absolutely nothing save a few shouted curse words." Hugo interjected.

"Well it's better than nothing! She always gets away with this and it's time someone did something about it!" Hugo shot her a look and then she looked over at me, "Sorry Louis. I didn't mean that you weren't doing anything I…"

"It's fine. You're right though I should have done something."

"There was nothing you could have done." Hugo said empathetically.

"What kind of attitude is that?" Lily whispered harshly, "Are you saying he should just take her constant shit for the rest of his life?"

"I am not and watch your mouth Turnip!" Hugo replied glaring in her direction.

"You're not my father! And stop calling me Turnip. Ass!"

"You should be grateful I'm not!" Hugo glared daggers into Lily for a long moment before she let out a huff of air in submission and crossed her arms, "Despite what _she_ may think I am not saying she should get away with it."

"Well then what—"

"We'll discuss it later" he interrupted, "It will give us something to talk about on the train ride." Hugo said with a smile draping one arm over my shoulder.

"Hugo what are you—"

"Drop it Lily." He said quickly. I didn't have the heart to tell him the rude gestures she was making behind his back at that point, Lily was always taking it from him. She deserved to have her fun and they were kind of funny.

We spent that entire day shopping. From new robes, to text books, to cauldrons and potions ingredients it all had my head was swimming. Before long it was getting close to sunset and I could hear my distant bed calling me from back at the cottage. It was at this time the older kids began to pipe up and complain, my sister Dominique leading the packed. Uncle Harry gave them the okay so Lily, Hugo, and myself began to follow the packed before he placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Where do you three think you're going?" he asked in a mock aggressive tone.

"Well we thought we were leaving early Dad." Lily piped up with a huff of air. Uncle Harry smiled at her before guiding the three of us in the opposite direction of the older kids.

"Not just yet. You three still have some business to take care of."

"And what would that be?" I asked slightly annoyed.

"Wands!" he replied with a dazzling grin.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_**Hours could have passed as I listened to Uncle Harry go on about his years at Hogwarts. **_ Perusal, an in depth explanation about wands soon began to center around his many adventures with Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione. When I was much younger I can recall my head swimming with images of giant spiders and endless expanses of forest. Even at the age of eleven I still found myself transfixed by his many stories, more so because I would soon be embarking on my own journeys throughout Hogwarts. Lily and Hugo were going to be my Ron and Hermione and the three of us were going to be the new Golden Trio once term started. I suddenly felt a little better about my future as I listened to Uncle Harry enthuse about the past.

We soon stopped in front of a stone town house looking building. It was made of a cream colored brick with large rectangular windows. In each window was a display of different kinds of wands on a red velvet sheet of fabric. On top of the large wooden door a sign read "Ollivander's "in gold cursive writing. Uncle Harry explained that the original owner had died in the war so his distant niece took over the business.

"It's changed a great deal since she took over…" I watched Uncle Harry look at the building with longing. Talking about Hogwarts always seemed to give him such joy it was easy to forget he had lost a great deal in seven years. Lily solemnly walked over and took her father's hand. He shook from his trance and smiled down at her and squeezed her hand before looking back at me and Hugo. "Shall we?"

The inside of the building was grander than its exterior. Hundreds of square holes lined the walls each one with a singular box of varying colors. There were wands on display in every directions and signs reading things like unicorn's horn and hair of Medusa. In the center of the room was a large wooden counter with a smiling woman behind it. She was pale and from what I could tell at the time very tall and lanky with short dusty blonde hair.

"Welcome one and all to Ollivanders! I'm Prudence, how may I assist you this evening?" She said a little cheerer than I was ready for.

"They're getting their first wands." Uncle Harry enthused. There was a long silence as Hugo, Lily, and I watched Prudence's smile get wider. I could have sworn the corners of her mouth were touching the bottoms of her eyes. Before Uncle Harry could let another word out she let out a shrill squeal and tossed herself over the counter dangling her feet above the ground.

"Their first wands! Why this is a joyous occasion! Oh, so many choices, so many possibilities!" She removed herself from the counter and kneeled down in front of us so we were at eye level. Her large green eyes peered at us for a long moment before she spoke.

"What are their names?" She said to Uncle Harry.

"Oh uh Louis, Hugo, and my daughter Lily." He said caught off guard.

"I see I see." She paused for another second to stare at us. I remember thinking the expression on her face reminded me of a house elf I once read about in one of Hugo's books.

Mid survey her eyes stopped and she peered deep into Lily's face. I could tell she wanted nothing more than to tell the woman to bugger off but with her father in the room that wouldn't have been the smartest choice. Almost too fast for me to catch the woman pulled out her wand and gave it quick flick. Instantly 4 boxes came flying from their cubbyholes in the wall in floated at Lily's waist. Lily stood there for a moment examining the boxes, not sure what to do. Hugo gave a slight nudge and she begrudgingly took the top off of a lavender box.

Inside was an all white wand with flower detailing winding its way around the shaft of the wand from base to tip. I could tell by her facial expression that this was not the wand for her and she began to put it back in the box.

"You have to try it out first!" Hugo whispered, obviously irritated.

"Yes! You can never judge a book by its cover young one and the same holds true for a wand." Prudence insisted with a smile. I had to stifle a chuckle as she couldn't have been that much older than us.

"Go on Lily," I urged, "What harm could it do?"

With a large sigh Lily took the wand in her long, freckled fingers and gave it a little flourish. We all waited a moment and nothing happened. With a nod from Prudence, Lily tried again there was no change that we could tell. Frustrated, Lily gave the wand one big flourish and in return the wand gave her a small puff of smoke out of its tip.

"Let's try a different one shall we?" Prudence suggested awkwardly as Lily almost threw the wand back into its box.

XxX

After much time, and a few more temper tantrums on Lily's part we finally left Ollivander's. I watched as Hugo and Lily fussed and inspected their wands thoroughly comparing their features with the others. It was nice to see them so excited but as I held the long black box with my own wand in it the fears that I had about going to Hogwarts soon crept up on me. Uncle Harry must have seen this and tried his best to cheer me up. He concocted this story that he had wanted to get me something extra for my birthday since it had only just been the day before. With protest from Hugo and Lily we made our way to a clothing store that specialized in muggle clothing. I already had a good deal of muggle clothing but I guess this was a more high-end shop than what I would usually go to. As soon as I walked in I instantly knew this was not somewhere I would have the pleasure of visiting again.

The very air seemed to smell expensive as walked through the aisles of clothes. It was a forest of sweaters and slacks with wildflower like accessories and pins resting on knee height glass tables. I could hear Lily squeals of jealous in the background and Hugo reprimanding her in his usual fashion—as adults they never grew out of their constant bickering.

During my decent into the depths of this wool and cashmere forest I came across a jacket that just seemed to be calling me. It was a suede jacket that was the color of caramel and had cream leather detailing. I had never seen anything like it and I found myself staring intently at it. It looked like something exceedingly expensive that Uncle Harry or his _friend_ Draco Malfoy would have worn. Before I knew what had come over me I had it in my grasp and was franticly trying to find a dressing room. I came across a row of curtained rooms and at random I picked the one towards the middle. I shut the curtain behind me and shut the curtain swiftly behind me. When I turned around I didn't find a image myself looking back at me through a mirror but quite the opposite.

There was a slender black boy in front of me with high cheek bones and perfectly shaped almond eyes. It seems strange that someone so young would take notice of such features but when you're half veela you find yourself noticing the more mature features of another person's beauty as they wildly gawk at your own. His skin reminded me of the coffee my father used to drink when I was little; dark, deep and rich. I found myself frozen in place as he peered at me peculiarly. I don't know how much time went by but I heard him say something that was muffled to my ears and he swiftly walked passed me leaving a smell reminiscent of nutmeg and vanilla in this wake. That smell would haunt my subconscious for many years.

XxX

When I returned home my mother, perusal, was busy in the kitchen whipping up something for dinner. She commented on how late it was before I showed her my new jacket that Uncle Harry had bought me. As she admired it my thoughts went back to the boy that I had seen in the shop. I couldn't get his dark piercing eyes out of my head or the deep rich color of his skin. I had never seen anyone like him before and as I went to be that night I found myself going over those brief moments in the dressing room over and over. What did his voice sound like, what was he about to try on? Who was he with, and what was his name? All of these questions reeled around in my head like a swarm of hornets buzzing and beating their small, paper thin wings against the inside of my skull.


	3. Chapter 3

t Chapter 3

_**Time sped on and soon the chill September breeze was creeping its way into my room. **_It was finally time for me to begin my first term at Hogwarts of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I awoke that morning with a nervous pit in my stomach but also lightness in my heart. Though my fears regarding the school were still present, they were eased with the knowledge that I would be spending the time with my two closest relatives and friends.

Soon that lightness turned into excitement as I crawled out of bed and rushed down stairs, the smell of bacon and pancakes leading the way. I quickly descended the stairs and entered the living room to find Dominique just coming from her room. She was already dressed, her strawberry curls put up in a ponytail revealing the mass of freckles that gave her an almost tan complexion around her cheeks. Of the three of us she had inherited the Weasley gene's the most. She looked at me for a minute as if contemplating whether or not to berate me at that very moment but to my surprise (and fortune) she thought it best not to with the rest of the family just in the other room. She simply scoffed and went into the kitchen and I followed slightly behind her. I had always wished things could have been different that morning and for once she could have just been happy for me…or at least pretended to be.

As I expected the kitchen was alive with joy and excitement. My father, mother, and sister Victoire all sat at the table waiting for me to arrive. I was greeted with warm smiles and praises of admiration from all of them. I began to help myself to some bacon when Victoire nudge me to get my attention.

"Read this when you get a moment alone." She whispered to me as she set a small piece of parchment on my lap underneath the table. I clandestinely stuck the parchment inside the front of my pajama bottoms and continued eating as if nothing had happened.

"Well are you ready?" My father said peering at me with his beautifully scarred face.

"As ready as I'll ever be."I replied with a smile, diving into my food.

"We'll be meeting everyone else at the station in just a little while so hurry and finish your food and get dressed. Did you pack like I told you to last night?" He asked.

"Yeah." I lied in between bites of pancake. At that point I quickly stuffed my face and bolted upstairs to begin packing my things.

After about five minutes I realized it was going to take a miracle to pack all of things up for school. From clothes, to text books, to potions ingredients, to keep sakes; it seemed as if I had a never ending list of things that I needed to take with me and not even a bottomless trunk made the job any easier. I heard a knock at the door an instantly prepared myself for the tongue lashing my father was going to give me for not having my things packed when Victoire peeked her head through the crack. She looked around at the cluttered disarray that was my room and flashed a brilliant smile.

"Need some help?" She asked suppressing giggles.

It wasn't long before everything had been packed (her being able to use magic outside of Hogwarts was a definite plus). We sat on my bed for a second talking and laughing about the good times we had had together. There was a pause in the conversation and she then looked over at me with a very serious look on her face.

"What are you going to do about Dominique?" She asked in a sobering tone. I hadn't given much thought to it up until that point. With everything else happening Dominique was the last thing on my mind but as my head began to wrap itself around the very real fact that I would be going to school with her Victoire rested a hand on my shoulder and continued, "You need to learn to stick up for yourself little brother. You're not going to have mom and dad to watch over you 24/7 at Hogwarts. Sure the professors will be there but there is still a whole lot that goes unseen and unnoticed by even them."

"What happened to just not letting her get to me?" I asked sarcastically even though part of me was actually curious as to what she had to say.

"You shouldn't let her get to you…but you shouldn't let her walk all over you either. You gotta take action."

"You make it sound so simple. How in Merlin's name am I going to do that?" I replied falling back on my bed. She soon followed suit.

"Now that I can't tell you."

"Then I might as well not even go." I said watching stray rays of sunlight dance on the ceiling.

"You'll think of something…and if you don't I'm sure Hugo will and Lily will be right there ready to jump into whatever plan he has." I gave a slight chuckle at the accuracy of her statement, "Mom, Dad, and myself may not be there but you will have Hugo, Lily, and anyone else you may meet. Don't ever forget that little brother."

"I won't—I love you Victoire."

"I love you too Louis."

XxX

The steam coming from the train formed a dense cloud that overcast the many families bustling about platform 9 ¾ saying their goodbyes. I stood with my entire extended family as we all exchanged words of farewell and good luck. I couldn't shake the thought that I was going to need all the luck I could wrap my tiny hands around. Every chance she could get, Dominique would send menacing smirk my way at which time I would advert my eyes to the giant train. That train was about to take me away from everything I had ever known and take me to a place where no one knew me nor had any reason to. If Dominique were to have her way I would be a social pariah and the more I thought about it the more I began to believe that she might just have her way.

The sound of the train's horn resonated off of the stone walls of the station and the noise from the many people seemed to double as kids began to scramble for the train and families tried to squeeze in their final words. I gave my parents and Victoire the tightest hugs I could muster before hurrying with Lily and Hugo to find decent seats on the train. As soon as I stepped on the train the tears began to flow, I couldn't help myself. It was really happening and there was nothing I could do about it. The excitement I had been feeling that morning quickly dissipated and was replaced with a most sobering fear. It wasn't difficult to hide my tears from the other students as they were all busy zooming between cabins greeting old friends and meeting new ones. At some point Lily must have noticed my tears and I felt a firm grip around my hand and saw a warm smile grace her freckled features. In that singular smile she said everything I needed to hear so wiped my face and returned the smile she had given me.

Hugo had finally happened upon an empty cabin and we quickly filed in with our belongings and shut the door behind us. Hugo let his pet cat Felix out of his caring case and the grey haired, blue eyed little thing quickly leapt onto my lap and nestled himself in my thick, black robes.

"He's always liked you better than me." Hugo said more so making a general statement than complaining.

"Well you were never a cat person; I'm not even sure why you got him."

"Well look at him! If that face had been staring back at you from a store window you would have bought him yourself!"

"I can't say I agree with you…I'm quite fond my owl to be honest." I said looking over at Richard in his cage. It was a strange breed of owl with brown, almost red feathers and piercing yellow eyes and a large face. He looked as if he was always judging someone.

"I agree with Louis, owl's are way better than cats." Lily chimed in lively.

"Says the girl who got herself a toad." Hugo replied with a chuckle. Obviously a fight ensued.

I turned my attention to the lush landscape that rushed past the frames of my window. The view and the rattling of the train soon put me in a trance. I sat there for a good amount of time, soaking in all my eyes could rest on before the swish of the compartment door opening shook me out of my own head. I turned to see a familiar pair of grey eyes. Scorpius stood there staring down at us from his standing position with a grin on his face. To Uncle Ron's dismay our generation of the Potter/Weasley clan made peace with that of the Malfoys. Scorpios had become a big brother of sorts to me over the years and thanks to my Veela blood he was always seen as just that to anyone who didn't know my family.

"Louis, Lily, Hugo." Scorpius began, "I'm sure you're all excited to be starting your first year."

"You have no idea." Hugo answered eagerly. He had always looked up to Scorpios who was known for his top marks and pleasant relations with both students and faculty.

"Wonderful." He said flashing another grin, "I have a favor to ask of you. A friend of my father, Mr. Blaise Zabini has a son who is also in his first year and I was wondering if the three of you could befriend the little guy?"

"I am not little." A venomous voice said from behind Scorpius. My heart stopped as I noticed who exactly was behind Scorpius. The same almond shape eyes and dark skin. He was the one who I ran into that faithful day. I quickly fixed my gaze outside the window in hopes that he wouldn't recognize me.

"This is Versailles—"

"You can call me Vincent."

"—alright then, Vincent. He's quite the personality. I'm sure you guys will get along fine."

Before any of us could protest or accept Scropius was gone just as quickly has he had come. I could feel Vincent's eyes on me as I desperately willed myself not to turn around and meet his gaze. I couldn't believe my terrible luck. I began to hear his footsteps along he carpeted floor walking towards me and to my dismay I was frozen to my spot. I would have given anything to have Uncle Harry's invisibility cloak. It wasn't long until he was sitting right in front of me his dark eyes peering into mine as if he was searching for something. I knew he recognized me and I knew Hugo and Lily must have been wondering what was going on. We just stood there in silence staring at each other. Hugo began to speak but Vincent cut him off.

"Hello, I'm Vincent." He said coolly stretching out his hand towards me.

"I'm Louis" I answered grabbing his hand into a limp handshake.

"I'm Hugo and this is Lily," Hugo started up again, "It's very nice to meet you Vincent. So where are you from?"

"I was born and raised just outside of Paris."

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Lily asked

"No, it's just me, my father, and my mother. And various house elves but I'm not too sure if you would count them."

"Of course you would count them!" Hugo said passionately. If his mother had instilled anything in him besides her thirst for knowledge it was her avid love for the average house elf.

"Well I would have to beg to differ." Vincent began, I could see the blood rushing to Hugo's face, "There is absolutely nothing tying them to my family. Not blood nor marriage; at best they are servants." He said looking Hugo dead in the face.

I was preparing myself for the battle of the century. I could see Hugo's knuckles turning white and his mouth was contorting into the most unattractive shapes but Vincent just sat there coolly looking at him. Abruptly, Hugo shot up from his seat glaring at Vincent, he mumbled something under his breath and exited the compartment slamming the door behind him.

"Don't worry about him. He's just a little sensitive when it comes to that sort of thing." Lily said trying to mediate the situation.

"Duly noted." Vincent said rising from his seat, "Well it was nice meeting you all, I'm going to head back to my compartment. I'm sure Fredrick is hungry."

"Fredrick?" I asked curiously.

"My owl." He replied, his eyes fixed on me again. I didn't know why at the time but I was terribly relieved that Fredrick had happened to be an owl and not another person, "Well goodbye then." And like that he was gone.

After a moment Hugo returned, his face a few shades less red than it was before and he seemed relieved that Vincent had left. I however wished he had stayed. I spent the rest of the train ride drifting in and out of the group conversation, my mind fingering around with the few moments I spent in his presence. I wanted more than anything for him to come back through that door or for me to have a reason to go out and search for him but whatever ideas I came up with would have made Lily suspicious. She wasn't the most academically gifted witch in Europe but she had her mother's intuition and I knew she would know the second something was up. So I sat there, smiled, and waited.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**I looked down over the edge of the harbor. **The water was motionless and reflective as if it were made from thousands melted down black pearls. On the surface floated hundreds of little boats with lanterns hanging on the back of each one. My father had mentioned that first years have to ride across the lake to the castle. No one ever explained to me why exactly that happens but it wasn't my place to question. Hagrid towered over the lot of us directing us onto boats, each one big enough for three or four people. Lily secured a boat for the three of us and we piled in as Hagrid motioned for students to start doing the same.

"Well this is it. We're finally here!" Lily said enthusiastically as our boat bobbed along the surface of the water towards the castle, "I never imagined that it would be this big in person. I mean look at it!" She leaned over the edge of the boat and stared wide eyed at Hogwarts castle. She was right, it was massive and seemed to even loom over the mountains in the distance.

"That large tower closest to us is Ravenclaw tower." Hugo pointed out with the same wide eyed expression as Lily. Hugo hoped more than anything that he would be sorted into Ravenclaw. As long as I had known him he was never one to share the same enthusiasm for Gryffindor that the rest of the Weasley/Potter clan shared. The method and theory behind magic always interested him more than the power it gave him. _Gryffindor is full of brutes and jocks_ he would say when he got into one of his preachy moods. As our time in Hogwarts progressed over seven years I can honestly say that his assumption wasn't far off. That is probably why Lily always knew she would follow the family line and be in Gryffindor. Of the three of us she was always the most courageous and never hesitated to use her strength to prove as such.

I looked on at the large castle and felt the pit return in my stomach. The constant rocking of the boat didn't help this feeling take its course either. Before I knew it the boats were being docked. We were rushed out of our boats and ushered towards the castle. We walked a short ways until there it was in front of me, Hogwarts castle. I reached out and grabbed both Lily and Hugo's hands and held them tight.

"This is it." Hugo said excitedly staring up at the colossal castle.

"I said that already." Lily pointed out.

"Does that even matter? We're here!" He retorted his eyes still fixed on the castle. Lily and I looked up too for a moment and she then turned to me and Hugo with a wide smile on her face.

"Well then…what are we waiting for!" And before we could say anything she broke out into a run.

Instinctively Hugo and I began to follow her. I bobbed and weaved through the mass of other first years trying desperately not to step on anyone's feet or trip over my own robes. It was hard to keep track of her as she ran much faster than I or Hugo did for that matter. We called out over the ambient chatting of the other students pleading with her to slow down before we lost track of her. My eyes were fixed on her robes billowing behind her and almost faster than I could catch she was scooped up by a pair of strong arms. Thrown into the hair, and caught basket style. As I got closer I saw that it was none other than her older brother James. He caught sight of me and Hugo and flashed a brilliant smile.

"Hugo, Louis! How goes it?" He asked switching Lily into prime position for a noogie. I was too out of breath so Hugo took over.

"Just fine." He said in between gasps and over Lily's screams of protest, "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in the Great Hall in preparation for the feast?"

"You don't miss anything do you—Ouch!" he exclaimed as Lily put ever ounce of strength she could muster into stepping on his foot.

"That's what you get! I hate it when you do that!." But in reality she secretly liked it. James was the only one in the family who treated her like one of the guys (besides Hugo and myself).

"Toughen up kid!" he said back before turning his attention back to Hugo, "Usually we would be but with McGonagall being head master now she isn't able to lead you into the Great Hall so she sent us Prefects to do the job—come on, we have to hurry and meet the others in front of the Great Hall.

It wasn't long before we made it to the Great Hall but the trip seemed to take a bit longer than expected due to Hugo's constant barrage of questions for James. By the end of it James looked as if he would pull ever black hair out of his head. He wasted no time in leaving our little party and hurrying to meet up with the rest of Prefects in front of us. I noticed that Molly and Fred were up there too. I always thought Fred looked like a model with his fiery hair up in a short ponytail contrasting with his French vanilla colored skin. He noticed me and we made eye contact for a moment. He looked as if he was about to smile but a loud booming voice rang out through the corridor and our attention was turned to a stout witch with curly blonde hair. She looked no taller than any of the shortest first years but her voice seemed to cut through air.

"Congratulations and Welcome! You are this year's newest and brightest students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. My name is Lucille Bumdrag (Lily let out an audible snort) and I am a seventh year prefect with Ravenclaw house. A couple of quick announcements before we lead you into the Great Hall…"

With a substantial bit of effort I was able to tune her out and take in my surroundings. The architecture of this castle was beyond anything I could have imagined. It was this strange mix of Gothic sensibility but still maintained this sense of warmth and welcome. The corridors leading away from the main hall we stood in seemed endless and the stair cases looked as if they went to the heavens. I heard all about the changing ceiling of the Great Hall and the obvious things to look for but no one even mentioned how stunning the actual structure looked. I remember sitting there in complete awe.

"Alright!" Lucile rang out over the group that had progressively gotten chatter during her little speech, "It's time to meet your teachers, the rest of the school, and get sorted into your houses. Make this year a good one guys!" and on her last word the doors to the Great Hall slowly creaked open. The sound of conversing students and the clatter of silverware filled the hall as we began to file in. I saw out of the corner of my eye Fred standing next to this tall man with light brown hair and honest looking face. I saw Fred's hand slip into the other man's, their finger interlocking. In one swift, graceful movement the other man brought their hands up and kissed the back of Fred's tenderly and looked at him passionately before they disappeared out of my view. I looked around to see if anyone else had noticed but Lily and Hugo were in their own world. Hugo decided to take that moment to chastise Lily for her little sprint earlier and she was not having it.

Fred was gay. My cousin Fred was a homosexual and I had no idea. He had always seemed different from the other guys in our family and he and I had always got along more than most. He was always there for me like a big brother when Victoire wasn't there to protect me from Dominique's moods. As I stood there in line I began to recall seeing that boy he was with before at Christmas once when I was much younger. Fred couldn't have been more than fifteen and nothing seemed that odd between them. His name was Matthew Stone and to me they had just happened to always be together. It all made sense at that very moment. It made me wonder how many of my relatives were gay that I didn't know about. How many of them were or had been going through what I was going through? Did everyone know? Was this some huge secret that the family was keeping hidden from me any anyone else? I suddenly began to feel a slight distain for Victoire because I'm sure she had known. If anyone, she should have been the one to know that I would want to know something like that. I turned around to ask Hugo and Lily if they knew anything but there was no one there. Before I could register anything I heard James call my name loudly and my head shot forward to see him standing on a set of stairs. Behind him sat all the professors sat at a long wooden table. Head Master McGonagall, whom I assumed was older woman sitting in the middle wearing long velvet robes, looked at me expectantly as did the rest of the professors. I looked around me and saw rows and rows of long tables all of which filled with people staring up at me. I looked again to the front of the room and my heart sank into my stomach. There on a stool sat an old, dirty hat that looked as if it was smiling at me. It was time for my sorting.

A/N- sorry for the wait but I was recently inspired again =] Chapter 5 has been started and should be up sometime tomorrow night if all goes well! Thanks for reading, R&R and spread the word. Let's really get people into Louis' story =]


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

_**Not since I had received my Hogwarts letter in the mail had I experienced the kind of anxiety that came with the sorting. **_There was sea of heads all poised in my direction, eyes drenched with anticipation. I sat there on the stool wrenching my robes with my hands trying to get the sweat off of them. I looked out and saw Lily sitting at the Gryffindor table next to Fred, worry all over her face. I then found Hugo sitting at the Ravenclaw table, just like he wanted. I could tell he was elated at the fact that he had been sorted into Ravenclaw but the possibility of the three of us getting separated visibly weighed heavy on his heart. I could feel myself getting dizzy as the reality of my situation began to sink in.

"It's gonna be okay kid." I heard James say from behind me, placing a firm hand on my shoulder. Even the slightest bit of comfort calmed me down a bit. "Are you ready?" He asked me calmly as if I had the choice to say no. I nodded and without another word he placed the sorting hat on my head. I heard a rumble and something that sounded like a gargle before a loud yawn came from atop my head.

"And who is this?" A wise voice said, "Louis Weasley! Ah you're about the hundredth of your kind we've had in the past seven years." There was an audible chuckle from the entire hall. "So the question is: where to put you where to put you where to put you? You could just get thrown into Gryffindor like the lot of your family…including that firecracker…James' younger sibling…but no. You're no Gryffindor boy, courage is not your strongest suit my boy not your strongest suit…much like your big headed cousin over there in Ravenclaw. Quite the brain on that one…but…though you're smart…no just no Ravenclaw is not for you."

My heart stopped. The entire room of faces became a blur and I couldn't make out one person's face from another. I was neither cut out for Gryffindor or Ravenclaw which were the only two houses I cared about. Both Hugo and Lily had been taken from me. I was lost in thought when I felt the sorting hat tighten around my head a bit.

"Are you listening to me boy?" It said angrily. I didn't respond, I didn't know what to say. I was completely separated from all that was familiar to me in a matter of seconds and there was nothing I could do about it.

"Now where was I? Oh! Yes! Where to put you where to put you where to—" It stopped talking suddenly as if something had gotten caught in its throat (if it had a throat) and I saw everyone in the Great Hall peering at me with interest. "What is this I sense? A hint of cunning? One who is quick to find entrances where there were none before? One who can make an escape as quickly as they arrived? One who has something to prove?" I had no idea what he was talking about. As far as I knew I was least cunning person to walk the Earth. No one had ever used those qualities to describe me. "I know just where you should go…SLYTHERIN!"

The Great Halll erupted in cheers, most notably the Slytherin table. I looked over at the Gryffindor table and there was no cheering from the Weasley family. They all looked confused and upset. Lily especially looked as if she might vomit. I looked over to Ravenclaw and Hugo had a baffled expression on his face, an expression I had never seen him exhibit. I felt the sorting hat pop off of my head and felt James' hand on the small of my back nudging me towards the Slytherin table. I looked back and he gave me a smile that I instantly saw through. He was just as bewildered as everyone else.

I slowly made my way over to Slytherin as McGonagall got up from her seat and began to make her beginning of term speech. All the while the fact that I was the first Weasley to be sorted into Slytherin took over my mind. Not only was I separated from my family and friends but I was now a blemish on the perfect family record. Sure Hugo had been sorted into Ravenclaw moments before me but Slytherin was an entirely different story. Before I could delve deeper into my thoughts plates and cutlery appeared in front of me with a pop. McGonagall had finished her speech and it was now time for dinner. The rest of the Slytherin table was deep in conversation talking to each other about their summers and their expectations for term. I sat there silent unable to speak, unable to eat. I could feel my entire family's eyes on my back but I couldn't bear to turn around and meet them. I didn't want to know what they thought of the situation even though.

I looked up from my plate to get a look at the people I was now a kin to when I saw Vincent a few seats down staring in my direction. He was just as beautiful far away as he was up close. I found myself staring at him as intensely as he was staring at me but I being only eleven at the time didn't understand it. All I knew is that the very sight of him could ease my mind but at the same time send my consciousness into overdrive. He was both a break from the real world and a harsh reminder of what I would have to face in the future. At some point a girl sitting across from him called his attention but we continued stealing glances at each other the entire meal.

XxX

The dungeons were just as Uncle Harry had described them; dark and dank with stone walls covered in different tapestries that dated further back than I could imagine. I knew that I was going to dread walking back and forth through the corridors. Even with torches on either wall it seemed to always be night time down there. The group of us stopped in front of a large wooden door with a large silver snake coiled on the front of it. It had a large green emerald in its mouth. The Prefect reached up and touched the Emerald and said the password allowed so we could all hear it. The snake's mouth slowly closed around the emerald and it began to slither around the door before resting itself on the stone archway around the door. The Prefect pushed the door opened and we filed in one after the other.

"Are we…" one student began.

"Yes, the common room is under the lake." The prefect answered.

I saw what looked like a mermaid swim past one of the windows, trident in hand but it was too dark to be sure. The water was almost pitch black. Paintings of famous witches and wizards adorned the walls and there were lush emerald green furnishings placed around the common room. There was one large fire place in the center of the room and two iron spiral staircases leading up to what I assumed to be the dormitories. After a brief introduction to the place the Prefect left the lot of us first years to our own devices. While everyone else sat in the common room and talked I sped up the stairs to the dormitories. There was a long hallway with doors on either side, and lists of names on each door. I looked until I found my name on a door and too my surprise my name wasn't the last on the list. I was too flustered to pay it any mind at the time so I just opened the door to find a room with five four poster beds in it. All the beds were adorned in emerald and black with velvet comforters. I found my trunk placed in front of a bed closest to a window. The lake outside was black and murky the only light coming from candles spread around the room. I was exhausted and the only thing I wanted was to go to sleep and wake up in my bed back at the cottage. As I began to think about home I remembered the note Victoire had given me. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the folded piece of parchment. As I unfolded it she suddenly felt a little less far away from me.

_Louis, _

_Words cannot express how proud I am of you. This is beginning of you becoming a man that one day will make our parents just as proud as I am of you now. They can't even contain their excitement and have the highest expectations for you. I know you've been uncomfortable with this whole thing but I promise these next seven years are going to prove to be the most memorable of your entire life for all the right reasons. You'll never be alone with Hugo, Lily, and the entire support system of Weasley's there so every day is bound to be an adventure. _

_I know things have been confusing lately. Even as a baby I knew you were different…I wasn't sure how but I knew it wouldn't change anything. I don't love you any less. When you figure things out for yourself just know that I am here for you, no matter what and I know that Mom, Dad, and even Dominique feel the same way. I don't want to push you into anything but I wanted to make sure that you knew your eldest sister was in your corner. _

_Stay safe. Write back. Be Yourself…who knows what will happen?_

_All the love in the world, _

_Victoire Weasley _

Even miles away Victoire knew just what to say to lift my spirits. I couldn't help but be skeptical of her declaration that everyone else would be as accepting of my differences as she was. Hell, I couldn't even count on the rest of school being as accepting as she was. I sat there for a minute somewhere in between relief and anxiety when the door to the dormitories opened. In stepped a boy with a familiar dark face, a face that unknown to my eleven year old self I would spend many mornings waking up too years later. Vincent looked over at me and paused for a second.

"I guess I'll be rooming next to you?" He said with a smirk pointing to the bed directly next to mine. My sister's last words rang in my head before I took a deep breath and replied.

"I guess so. I hope you don't snore." I said matching his playful smirk.

Be yourself….who knows what will happen?

Words everyone should live by.

A/n: Sorry that took so long guys! I actually had most of this chapter done before but with the college semester drawing to the a close things have been hectic with performances (I'm a dance major haha) and finals and studying for said finals but now that Summer is coming I should have a lot more free time to update this for you. Don't worry I'm not gonna abandon this one =]


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

_**My eleventh year on this earth had proved itself to be a year of firsts.**_ It was my first year at Hogwarts; I was the first Weasley to be sorted into Slytherin; it was the first time I slept somewhere without some member of my family in the next room; and following this theme, it was my first day as an actual student at Hogwarts. I lied in bed looking at the room around me hoping that the next time I blinked I would be surrounded by crimson and gold, not emerald and black. It was, of course, no use and I had to get used to the fact that I would be spending the next seven years of my life as a Slytherin. To this I would, of course, need to get out of bed so begrudgingly I got up and began preparing for the whirlwind day that was ahead of me. It was a slow process, but my mother always told me progress was made after a string of little victories so simply deciding to get up was enough for me. I looked over to Vincent's bed and it was perfectly made, as if no one had even slept in it the night before. He had already gotten up and as far as I know he never grew out of being such a morning person. I wished I could have that kind of initiative, but it is that much harder when you detest the situation that you're in.

I was beginning to mull over my problems again when I heard the door open and in stepped Vincent completely dressed for the day. The aquamarine light coming from the windows seemed to give his skin an uncanny glow. He was always so particular in the way that he dressed. Not a single thing was out of place, a model student if I had ever seen one. I sat there still tangled up in a mixture of pajamas and bed sheets. He looked at me for a second before making his way over to his trunk. After rummaging through it for a second he pulled out a green and black stripped tie and threw it in my direction.

"I figured you wouldn't have one of these," he said curtly.

"Thanks," I replied as he made his way back across the room towards the door.

"Breakfast is going to be starting soon, you should hurry." I looked over at the grandfather clock in the corner and jumped out of bed hurriedly. "I'll wait for you in you want," he offered. I accepted, hoping I could hide the nervousness in my voice. I quickly put on my robes, put on the new tie that Vincent had given me, grabbed my bag, and headed down to the common room with Vincent by my side.

The common room had the same faint green glow as the dorms. The view of the lake depths was even more amazing with the floor to ceiling windows. I looked over the railing and saw three students chatting amongst themselves as if waiting for something. I recognized one of them as the girl Vincent had been talking too at dinner the night before.

When we reached the bottom of the staircase one of them, a boy with bright hazel eyes and the waviest brown hair called out to Vincent and the other two took notice. Their eyes immediately went from him to me. I could feel a warmth in my cheeks that was customary with embarrassment. I hated, and still to this day, hate meeting new people.

"This is Louis." Vincent said not missing a beat, "Louis, meet Gerard—"

"Hello." The brown haired boy said with a smirk. He always had the kind of face that was friendly enough but something about his smile always suggested he was not one to trust. I nodded at him at him and looked at the other two, "This is Nathan and Violet."

Nathan was a handsome, stone faced, Asian boy. He was the tallest of the three, slightly taller than Vincent with a long ponytail down the back of his head. He nodded at me without breaking his cold expression. Violet was a beautiful young girl with skin that reminded me of my cousin Fred's without the freckles. Her hair was the color of butterbeer and had a tight curl to it. She wore small pins with purple flowers on them that looked rather expensive. She gave me a slow once over with a smug look on her face and then, as if putting on a mask, she cracked a smile.

"Hello." She said curtly. I took note that even though there was venom in that simple hello her voice was as beautiful as she looked.

xXx

The whole way down to breakfast Vincent, Gerard, Nathan, and Violet were invested in their own conversation while I trailed slightly behind the group. All I could think about was seeing Hugo and Lily once we got to the Great Hall. I knew they were going to want to know everything about my situation and selfishly I wanted nothing more than to complain about it. I needed my best friends at that moment more than anyone at any given moment should want to admit. Before I knew it we had made it our destination and without giving a second thought to Vincent and the group I made my way over to the Gryffindor table and desperately searched for a clan of red heads. As I made my way down the rows of people chatting it up over breakfast Hugo and Lily instantly came into view and I broke out into a run. They caught sight of me and I was instantly greeted with a large hug. It was as if we had been apart for years. Without hesitation I began recounting what had happened the night before as if they hadn't seen it themselves the night before.

"What was your first night in the dorms like?" Hugo asked excitedly.

"Lonely." I replied, "You?"

"It was okay." He said nonchalantly. I could see in his eyes that he had probably had the time of his life. I would have loved to hear about it and the friends he made but I knew being the person he was he would keep it private for my sake. That kind of self sacrifice is a rare quality in people and it was something I tried to emulate in my everyday life. Lily maintained that it was just like being back at home with all the other Weasleys around. From her expression I couldn't tell if that was a good or a bad thing but I knew she was comfortable, that much was true.

As our discussion continued, I could feel Dominique's eyes watching me like a snake watching its prey. I knew if anyone was enjoying my misfortune it was her. I looked up at her from over my food which proved itself to be a foolish idea. She took that as her queue to head in my direction. I started having flashbacks to my birthday making my throat close up and my hands sweat.

"And if it isn't the man of the hour." She said, every word coming out of her mouth dripping with contempt.

"Lay off, Dominique, I'm not in the mood." I said, trying to shrug her off.

"I just wanted to congratulate you on your sorting. I have to admit I didn't see it coming. A Slytherin? I would have sworn you would have gotten sorted into Hufflepuff. Merlin knows you're dimwitted enough to—"

"Didn't you hear him the first time, he doesn't want to talk to you Dominique." Lily piped up.

"You're his sister, I don't see why you're always so insufferable." Hugo said.

"Oh look at this the first years banding together. It makes my heart weep."

"Why don't you just—," Hugo began.

"You're not even a Gryffindor so I don't know why you're here." She said cutting him off, "That goes for _her_ too." She stared directly at me. I was horrible and hiding my emotions and she could see me breaking. Before she could continue she saw Fred and James coming our way. With one last glare she turned on her heels, grabbed her bag and headed out of the Great Hall leaving me there embarrassed, my self esteem shattered. Lily placed a soothing hand on my shoulder and I felt somewhat better.

"Thank you." I said to her and Hugo. They simply smiled. There wasn't much they could have done in that situation but I appreciated it all the same. Moments later Fred and James finally came up to us to tell us that classes were starting. We made our way towards the exit as a group and the whole time my gaze was fixed on Fred. I couldn't help but ponder on the side of him I never got to know. It seemed strange now seeing him without Matthew by his side even though I only saw them together once before. Watching him communicate with others as if the topic of his sexuality was nothing more than the color of his eyes was astounding to me. Ever since I had found out he was gay he suddenly seemed that much more spectacular to me. The way he smiled, the way he laughed, the facial expressions he made; he was my only connection to a side of myself I wanted to know more about and I didn't even have the courage to ask him about it. He had already gone through the awkward period of coming out to himself and to others and for that I envied him. When we got to the large doors of the Great Hall Lily, Hugo, and I looked at out schedules and just as luck would have it we didn't have any classes together. We didn't have time for a drawn out goodbye so we promised to see each other at lunch. I made my way to Potions that morning with a heavy heart.

xXx

The Potions lab was a musty old room. The walls were lined with books by famous witches and wizards, all of whom made some contribution to the study of Potions as a whole. The windows had iron rods on them causing the sunlight to poke through in rays that illuminated the many dust particles floating around the atmosphere of the room. The fragrance of the room was a mixture of mildew and scents of things that I couldn't even pronounce. Needless to say it wasn't my favorite place in all of Hogwarts castle.

The room was split up by one long aisle. On one side sat the Hufflepuffs and the other the Slytherins. Upon walking into the room for the first time it was apparent that I was not going to converse much with the Hufflepuff side. I didn't much care for the Slytherins at the time but the Hufflepuffs were a dimwitted bunch. Even if I had wanted to be friends with some of them they all had their own preconceived notions as to what it meant to be a Slytherin which prevented any of them from actually opening up to any of us…not that any one Slytherin besides myself would have given them a chance. I took my seat silently next Vincent who was chatting with Violet on his other side. I wished so much that it had been Hugo and Lily to my left but I knew that was a fool's request. I spent most of the class lost in my own thoughts as Professor Seraphina, a tall black woman with strangely long fingers and an even longer looking face, tried to engage the students in class.

As is customary, she broke us up into partners for our first research assignment of term. I looked in Vincent's direction and I was met with a cold stare. My breath hitched in my throat and I couldn't speak. The look in his eyes was one of utter betrayal and I instantly began wracking my brain trying to remember an instance when I had wronged him. Before I could gather myself enough to speak he turned to Violet and asked her to be his partner. In a single day I had lost not only my best friends Lily and Hugo but also the possibility of a friend in Vincent. I sat there for a moment shaken before a stack of books was dropped in front of me. I looked up and saw Gerard's face with his signature crooked smirk and penetrating eyes. I took that as his invitation to be my partner and I accepted. To my surprise we worked well together. We kept up a decent amount of small talk and he even cracked a joke here and there. I can truthfully say, even at the age of eleven he was quite the charmer. Whether he was aware of this or not is up for debate but as he aged over the years he began to use this same charm to his advantage. I swear he passed his OWLS with a smile and a chuckle in the proctor's direction. I know this because he didn't study at all beforehand. He was that young man that everyone either wanted to be or wanted to be with…but he would find this out in due time.

We finished our assignment second out of the whole class and were permitted to leave early for our efforts. We had maybe 20 minutes till our next class which happened to be Care for Magical Creatures so Gerard thought it would be a good idea to roam the grounds and I agreed. I had to actually take in the setting around Hogwarts castle and I can easily say it is just about as magnificent as the castle's interior: a large expanse of rolling hills with a giant lake breaking up the kilometers of green, a dark forest at the plain's edge which I knew to be the Forbidden Forest. Uncle Harry, Uncle Ron, and Aunt Hermione never really understood what the word Forbidden implied. The sun had hidden itself behind a mass of clouds bathing us in a diffused overcast light as we stomped our way through the fresh grass. At one point Gerard looked over at me and gestured to my tie.

"That's Vincent's tie is it not?" He asked already knowing the answer.

"Yes. I didn't have any of my own so he leant me his. I didn't plan on being sorted into Slytherin."

"We didn't plan on it either. He must really trust you then."

"What do you mean?" I asked dumb founded.

"I've known Vin since we were in diapers and in all that time he's never once let me borrowed something of his let along have it. And here you are, someone who hasn't known him for more than a week, wearing his tie. If that isn't trust I don't know what is."

"Oh…I didn't know it was that big of a deal." I said taken aback.

"Obviously not. It's a shame you went and ruined it."

"Ruined what? How?"

"This morning when you left us to go sit with the Gryffindors." He said the last word with obvious contempt, "He took it as a personal insult you know. The rest of us could have cared less honestly, but it really got to him—," At that moment the cold stare he had directed towards me that morning in Potions made sense. I hadn't even given the incident any thought until then, "—it completely ruined his mood for the rest of the day."

"Well what am I going to do?"

"Say you're sorry. What else is there to do?" He said matter-of-factly. After that he changed the subject back to Quidditch. I noted that had it not been for their different houses he would have gotten along with several of my relatives in Gryffindor.

Gerard's words hung in the back of my head for the rest of the day. I couldn't help but feel guilty during lunch that afternoon. I would occasionally glance over at the Slytherin table to see if he was looking my way but he kept his back to me the entire time. He didn't so much as say a word to be during our last two classes of the day and it wasn't until dinner when I opted to sit at the Slytherin table did he take notice of me. The second I sat down his eyes shot up to meet mine, a quiet anticipation burning behind them. I nodded in his direction and then began to strike up conversation with Gerard to distract myself from his probing stare. I didn't know how to go about apologizing for something of that nature because up until that point I had done nothing of the sort. The most I could do was be polite. I figured it would have to suffice.

xXx

Sleep did not come easy to me that night. I tossed and turned for awhile before being so fed up that I went down to the common room. It was completely empty seeing as it had to have been past midnight; the only light in the room was coming from the loan fire place, its flames flicking around almost caressing the darkness into the edges of the room. I made myself comfortable in one of the arm chairs and began to mull over my day. I took the time to think about my discussion with Hugo, and Lily at lunch. It was then I had the chance to really talk about my sorting into Slytherin with them. As I expected they decided that it had to have been some kind of mistake. I wanted so much to agree with them but I couldn't shake the feeling that no matter how much I didn't want it to be true there had to be some reason I was sorted into Slytherin. The Sorting Hat in all its years of sorting has never made a mistake, at least not one that was reported. It seemed vain and almost arrogant to suggest that I would be the one exception to years of tradition. It all brought me back to my fight with Dominique that morning. She was right, I was not a Gryffindor and for the second time she had won since my birthday. I could feel a wetness on my cheeks as I continued to let my thoughts weigh heavy on my shoulders when I heard the muffled sound of someone plopping into one of the arm chairs. I turned to see Vincent's calculating eyes watching me.

"I'm sorry." I began half apologizing for my crying, and half for the way I had treated him that morning.

"It's fine." He replied as if he understood where I was coming from. He always had that talent, "You're never going to survive here." I was taken aback for a moment. I didn't know how to reply so he continued, "I don't mean to sound rude but it's the truth. Unless you change your ways you're never going to make it. These people, this house is going to eat you alive."

"Shut your mouth!" I blurted feeling the anger well up inside me, "You don't know anything about me! You—"

"Oh but don't I?" he cut me off, "I've only seen you a hand full of times outside of school and have watched you all day. You're tentative, over emotional, and in desperate need of a strong will. The way you carry yourself alone is cause for alarm."

"Just because I'm not a souless Slytherin with no sense of right and wrong doesn't make me any of those things! Everyone was right about you." I said feeling myself reach my breaking point. It only upset me more watching him sit there calm and cool while I was foaming at the mouth with rage.

"There is nothing souless about us. You are thinking of a different time. You're stuck in a past you didn't even experience. We just have complete control of ourselves as well as everyone else. It may come off as indifference but it is actually strength. The strength hundreds of witches and wizards before you took the time to cultivate and master, a strength that you lack." I could tell by the way he said it that this was an idea that was beaten into his head since birth. The words, though past his years, seemed to flow out of him like rehearsed lines.

"I was never meant to be here!"

"That choice was never for you to make." He said raising his voice the slightest bit. I noticed that even at that volume there wasn't anger in his voice. It was more of a passion. I looked into his eyes at that moment for the first time since we had started arguing and there wasn't the tiniest bit of anger in them. No condescending air or hint of insult. He was genuinely worried about me. At the sight of this I calmed down a bit though I still cried out of frustration.

"Then what do I do." I said defeated. For the second time that day I was seeking advice in unsuspected places.

"Learn. Let me teach you." He got up from his seat and knelt down in front of my chair placing a hand on my knee, "Let me be your friend." I thought to myself what could another eleven year old boy teach me but seeing as he was already a part of this world he knew better than I did. I nodded accepting his friendship. "I noticed the way that red head girl spoke to you today." He said with an uncanny amount of kindness.

"That's my sister, Dominique, she's a third year."

"Third year sister or not, there isn't a single one of us here who wouldn't have put her in her place. Violet especially wouldn't have put up with that. She's intense that one." I chuckled at his joke feeling much better. I would be lying if I didn't say his proximity to me didn't make it that much better.

"I'm sorry for this morning. I just really needed to see my best friends."

"It's fine. I may have over reacted with the whole ignoring you thing. It seems to me that Gerard took it upon himself to make you feel welcome."

"Yeah, he's pretty nice."

"That's Gerard for you. Always _Mr. Popular._" Before I could reply he got up from his seated position on the floor and started heading up to the dorms, "I'm gonna head to bed now. I'm not trying to take you away from your friends and family or anything but just give us a chance. Give being a Slytherin a chance." I looked at him for a moment trying to figure him out even more before replying.

"Will do." I said with a smile.

"Good. First things first though. Get those feelings of yours in check. First lesson, never let them see you squirm." He made a funny spider like gesture with his hands and waved me off heading for the dormitories.

I sat there for a moment elated. I was able to add two more first to my list: my first actual conversation with Vincent and my first lesson on being a Slytherin. In that small fight I had learned more about myself then I had in the ten years prior to that moment. If I was ever going to get Dominique off of my back I was going to need to learn to get a handle of my emotions. It was going to be a lost cause if I continued to give her the satisfaction of seeing me cry. Nothing frustrated me more than watching Vincent keep is calm demeanor while I sat there flailing about, roaring at him like some sort of wild boar. If I could make Dominique feel the sense of rage that I felt at that moment then that would be one third of the battle. Without thinking I grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill from a messenger bag someone had left in the common room and began vigorously writing down a letter to Victoire. I had so much to tell her and there was so much she needed to hear. It was also for myself so that I could see my new resolve in writing. If I was going to be a Slytherin I was going to do it right and be a better person because of it.

A/n- Sorry that took so long but this is where things are going to start picking up! I would like to thank my extremely talented Beta Sam, love you girl.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**_With my new resolve to be a Slytherin I almost instantly found school to be more enjoyable._** Instead of running away from the path that had been made for me I went along that path, treading lightly of course. I slowly swam deeper into all that it meant to be a Slytherin with Vincent guiding me the whole way. Being the son of a Weasley I only ever heard the term Slytherin in conjunction with Voldermort and his death eaters. The world of a Slytherin was one clouded with racial prejudice and a general disdain for all things lower class. This sentiment was shared by Hugo and especially Lily but being my best friends they looked past their upbringing and believed that I, a Weasley, could never be tainted by the Slytherins. Lily however still had her reservations about the situation.

"I don't see the problem Lily. He's just making the best out of a bad situation." Hugo called to her from his seated position under a tree. He was knee deep in his Potions book while Lily and I played catch on our brooms in preparation for her Quidditch try outs.

"I just don't like the way they look at me is all. It's like they smell something rotten every time we're in the same room, especially that Asian one."

"His name is Nathan, and he always looks like that." I said trying to stick up for my new friends.

"Whatever, that doesn't make it any better." She retorted throwing the quaffle in my direction with a little more force than needed, "Just promise me something…just always stay you Louis."

"You won't have to worry." I assured her, "I'm not going anywhere."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." Hugo piped up slamming his book shut, "It's lunch time."

XxX

"Do you think I'll make it?" Lily said as we walked through the corridors headed to the Great Hall.

"I don't see any reason for you not to make it." Hugo answered her, "You're the best first year on a broom and look at who your father is."

"I don't want to make it because of who my dad is! I want to get in because I'm good enough!" she exclaimed a little louder than she needed to, "Who do you think I am? Some Slytherin?"

"Lily!" Hugo shouted hitting her in the back of the head with his Potions book.

"What! He knows I'm not talking about him!"

This hadn't been the first time Lily made reference to the Slytherins in a negative light. I would be lying if I didn't say that it somewhat hurt me when she would have little slips like that. I knew she wasn't directing it at me but that didn't make it any easier. She wasn't the only member of Gryffindor who gave me trouble over being in Slytherin. Whenever I was able to sneak away from Vincent and the others I would have lunch with Lily and Hugo at the Gryffindor table. It was easier for Hugo and I to get away from our houses than it was for Lily because the Gryffindors were known both for their courageousness and their almost unnatural sense of fraternity. Even so much as befriending someone from another house was frowned upon by them, Let alone sitting with them during meals. Hugo Lily and I lucked out all being related but the same couldn't be said for others. Even so there were the ever present glares that came from people every time I sat down for a meal. I would be lying if I said it wasn't uncomfortable.

Sometimes I made a point of having the three of us sit in the thick of our relatives. The Potter, Weasley clan acted as somewhat of a barrier from the rest of the house. With people like James and our hot tempered cousin Roxanne around the glares became less and less noticeable.

"Don't pay attention to them." Lily would say to me as we ate, "They're all just jealous!" I was never sure what exactly they were jealous of but I would politely smile at her. I appreciated her trying.

"I don't know how you're going to be on a team with these people." Hugo began, "The lot of them seem awfully catty." He said looking around the table.

"They aren't all that bad." Lily defended, "Only the stupid ones are being wankers about it all."

"From where I'm sitting, they all seem that bad. I would hate to be sitting here without our older cousins around." Hugo retorted pointing his fork around the table. He was right, it was like the entire table was taking turns glancing in our directions and then whispering something to their friends. I figured it was how Uncle Harry felt every day when he went here.

"I'm sure the Slytherins would be the same way if you all came over and sat with me." I said trying to help Lily out.

"I'm not so sure about that," Hugo said turning to get a look at the Slytherin table, "They don't even seem to be the slightest bit bothered that you're over here. In fact I would venture to say that they don't care at all."

"Well if you like them so much why don't you go sit with them?"

"Anything would probably be better than this." Hugo said in matter of fact tone. The rest of lunch wasn't filled with much conversation.

Hugo's assessment clung to the back of my mind. In my experience dealing with the Slytherins seemed much more enjoyable than dealing with the Gryffindors. It was almost as if their roles had been switched. If you had asked me a year ago which house would be more likely to accept the other I would have sure said Gryffindor but there I was a Weasley being shunned by the very house that was said to be a safe haven for my family throughout the years. My worst fears were beginning to become reality at the same time as blessing that I never could have imagined began falling in my lap. I had lost a legacy but gained a family.

XxX

Sooner rather than later Quidditch tryouts were a weekend away and Lily wasn't the only one I knew who was excited. Vincent and Gerard spent a good amount of time practicing at the pitch with Nathan, Violet, and myself watching from the stands. Vincent and Gerard looked like blurs from where we were as they zoomed around the field on that chilly November afternoon.

"Why aren't you trying out Nathan?" Violet asked not looking up from her romance novel, _Ricordarsi la mia Vita_.

"Quidditch isn't for me." He said dryly, "Why aren't you?"

"The same. I'm much too pretty to be caught dead in one of those dreary uniforms. These heavy robes are bad enough." She replied flipping to the next page of her book delicately.

"What about you Louis? From the way you entertain the other two by listening to their nonstop Quidditch talk I would think you were just as excited for try outs." Nathan asked looking towards me. His expression was cold as usual but inquisitive. I ventured to guess that it wasn't that he was truly cold hearted it was just the way his face looked.

"It's just not my cup of tea. With my family I get enough Quidditch on breaks to think that I'm on my very own team." I said trying my best to make him laugh. His masked cracked slightly but in true Slytherin fashion it was back up within seconds. I was proud of myself for getting through to him though.

"That and you feel the same way I do." Violet spoke up this time looking at me.

"I don't understand." I said trying to focus my gaze on Vincent and Gerard to avoid eye contact with her.

"You're much to pretty for that sort of stuff. You have to know this." I turned my head to look at her feeling heat pooling in my cheeks.

"What? Me, pretty?" I said not sure if I should have been insulted or flattered.

"Are you saying you don't know?" Her face began to glow and I could see something burning behind her eyes. When I looked back at her with a blank expression she closed her book and focused all of her attention on me, "You do hear what the girls say about you right? Or at least see the way they look at you. You can't possibly be that dense Louis."

"Hey I'm not dense!" I protested getting angry.

"Oh really now?" Violet said folding her arms and looking at me inquiringly. I took a moment and remembered my talk with Vincent and calmed down before speaking again.

"I just don't pay attention to that kind of stuff. It's almost petty feeding into gossip like that don't you think?" I said looking away at the last moment for dramatic effect. I wasn't sure if my small quip had gotten to her but a slight chuckle from Nathan gave me assurance.

"Don't start throwing a hissy fit Weasley, I was just saying people who look like us have better things to do than chase after balls in the rain." With that she opened her book to where she left off and within seconds was lost in her own little world again. I was left in a daze trying to figure out where exactly that had come from. I had never really looked at myself and thought pretty not even handsome. I knew I was by no means ugly but my physical appearance wasn't something I gave much thought so it was strange hearing that other people had given it such thought.

"What girls?" I asked unsure of whether or not I wanted an answer. Without delay the spark was back in her eyes as she set down her book and back at me.

"Well there is one in particular. She's a Ravenclaw. Her name is Amanda Fitzgerald, do you know her?" I nodded my head no, "Well she's in our potions class. She has the biggest crush on you Louis."

"Me?"

"Yes you. I thought she was lying when I first over her heard her and the rest of her lot talking about it but it's true. Amanda has the hots for you."

"I'm not sure what good this info is going to do him. He doesn't seem at all into her." Nathan.

"And so the lonely giant wishes to make friends now?" Violet sneered playfully.

"Bugger off Violet." He said through an exhale.

"He's right though. What good does this do me?" I spoke up

"Well nothing really but it can do me some good. She's the smartest girl in our Potions class. She hasn't gotten anything less than a perfect on every exam we've had. If you could somehow use your persuasions to get her to make me—and you a cheat sheet of sorts—"

"But there are no cheating charms placed on the classroom before every exam. Even if he did get it you wouldn't be able to use it!" Nathan protested.

"That's where you're wrong." She turned to Nathan with the same fire in her eye, "You're the best charms user in our grade correct?"

"Yes. I'm studying it at a third year level but I don't see—"

"You're going to falsely implant the answers in my head using a false memory charm."

"That's really high level stuff Violet and if we get caught—" I began

"But that's what is so great about it, it's so high level who would expect first years to even try it? It's fool proof."

"Why do you want to do well on this exam so badly?" I asked knowing the question was on the tip of Nathan's tongue as well.

"Because up until now she has been my only competition in getting the highest marks in class. She got a higher score than me on the last test so I need this grade to stay with her. If I can get top marks by the end of this term we will get 400 house points." My and Nathan's eyes widened at the prospect of 400 points, "But more than anything I want to be the best and there is no way I'm going to let some Ravenclaw stand in the way of that. So are you with me?"

"I'm in. Never a dull moment with you Violet." Nathan said without hesitation. They both then looked at me expectantly. I knew in my head it was wrong but I had come so far in making these friends I didn't want to lose them.

"I'll do it." I said trying to match the fervor in Violet and Nathan's eyes. It was the beginnings of my first devious plot as a Slytherin and it both excited and terrified me.

XxX

Vincent and Gerard finally had their fill of riding around on their brooms just in time for dinner. Gerard was raving for his favorite food, French Onion soup, which was going to be served that night. I wish I could have shared in his excitement but I had lost my appetite so I opted to head straight to the dorms and get some work done. We said our goodbyes and I headed towards the dungeons with a heaviness weighing down on my shoulders. I couldn't help but think what I had gotten myself into in agreeing to be a part of Violet's plan. If we failed that would mean the possible end to my Hogwarts career. I hadn't even been there for an entire year and I was already making decisions that could impact the rest of my life. The thought of Hugo and Lily's reactions scared me even more and it was at that moment that I promised myself I would not tell them. I couldn't face their judgment with their faith in my surviving Slytherin already wearing thin. It wasn't like I was becoming a Death Eater but I knew that's how they would treat it and I was positive that I could take care of myself. I wasn't going to let Slytherin get to me but at the same time I wasn't going to constantly wage war against it either. It was a delicate tight rope that I had to walk never wanted to fall over the edge into one extreme over the other.

The Dungeons were quiet that night seeing as I was the only one in the entire house who hadn't gone to dinner. After I had a chance to shower to clear my thoughts and cleanse my body a new idea resurfaced in my mind: was I really pretty? What does it actually mean to be pretty? Is it the shape of one's eyes? The color of one's hair? The alignment of one's teeth? All these questions floated around like lilies on water's surface. I had spent a great deal of my life up to that point listening to the way people gawked over my mother. Of the Weasley women, married in or otherwise, she was renowned as the most beautiful and I was said to look just like her. In fact I was the only one of her kids to. My sisters had inherited variations on the Weasley characteristic red hair and freckles but both of those eluded me. I thought my sister Victoire was exceptional and according to her so did a lot of guys at Hogwarts during her time. Dominique was a little less fortunate having overly curly hair to the point that it was frizzy and a face full of freckles. She was by no means unattractive just not as attractive as her older sister and now apparently me.

Growing tired of my questions I got up from my bed and headed over to the full length mirror across the room. I stepped in front of if it and my reflection stared back at me with strange look on my face. I was wearing a pair of white boxers with blue stripes on them and my hair was still a little damp from the shower I had taken. I stared at myself in the mirror and took in what I saw. My eyes were blue just like my mothers. Her eyes were at one moment warm and inviting and then the next could be piercing and cold, as if they could cut right through steel. My hair was a bright blonde almost white again exactly like my mother. It almost seemed to radiate light at the right angle. My body was that of a scrawny eleven year old boy, no surprise there. My arms and torso were a bit longer than most peoples and I figured that was the bit of Weasley in me that was able to get through. I turned around several times to get a glimpse of myself at every angle taking note of my skin color, the color of my lips, the length of my legs, the shape of my eyes, the height of my cheekbones, the definition of my jaw no feature went unnoticed. I had to have spent at least an hour looking at myself in that mirror. I heard the door to the dormitories open behind me and I turned meeting Vincent's dark eyes. I stared at me for a second before I realized how foolish I must look standing in front of a mirror half naked. I played the situation as if I had just been passing by the mirror on my way to my bed and threw on my bath robe hurriedly.

"How was dinner?" I asked trying to lighten the mood.

"Fine. Gerard got his soup." He answered me with a chuckle that I gladly returned.

"Where is everyone?"

"Down in the common room. Gerard challenged Nathan to another game of Wizard chess. I wish he would just realize that's he's never going to beat him."

"He never will! Not unless Nathan lets him win."

"Which will never happen. Hufflepuff will sooner beat us in Quidditch!" We erupted in our own fits of laughter. Every day I and Vincent's exchanges became more and more like this. In him I had truly found a friend.

"Vincent." I started unsure how I wanted to word my question, "Am I pretty?" He looked at me for a long moment before answering.

"I mean…do you want to be pretty?" He said his face unreadable.

"I don't know. I was just wondering." When he didn't answer promptly I started to inwardly panic. I was sure that he was about to laugh in my face and run downstairs and joke about it with the others. I cursed myself for being so stupid.

"…I guess so…yeah…yeah Louis you're pretty." He said with an honest expression.

"You really think so?"

"Sure. I never would have used _pretty_ to describe a boy but for you…it fits."

Before I could answer Gerard burst into the room complaining that about how Nathan had beaten him, accusing him of cheating. Nathan followed in soon after presumably stone faced as ever but with smug sneer slightly pulling at the corners of his mouth. The conversation was instantly absorbed into Gerard's lament over Wizarding chess and it was as if the little exchange that me and Vincent had just had didn't even happen. I was positive that he had dismissed it but I held onto his compliment like my own personal treasure. I stole another glimpse of myself in the mirror across the room and admitted to myself that I liked what I saw.

(A/N: Thank you so much to my faithful readers who are sticking with this story, you're the reason I continue! Don't forget to Review! It's a true motivator, trust me =P )


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Winter crept up on Hogwarts like a phantom in the night. Soon the vast fields of gold and orange were covered with a thick sheet of white, masking the landscape beneath the sun or moonlight. I found myself staring out of the window during most of my classes, mesmerized by the falling snow as it danced around on the wind. Christmas break was coming fast, but before I could rejoice at the prospect of being home for an extended period of time there was work to be done. There was one final test in Potions the day before we left so Violet wanted to put her plan into motion. The week we were scheduled to leave she told Vincent and I to meet her in the Owlery during lunch, because everyone with any sense would be in the Great Hall wolfing down lunch.

"You're late." She said waiting at the top of the stairs as me and Vincent ascended them.

"Well you wanted to meet during lunch and they were serving peach pie, which is my favorite. Priorities, Violet." I said jokingly. I found myself getting better and better at the witty banter that Slytherins were known for.

"Oh shut up and get up here." She said turning on her heels and going up into the Owlery.

"It smells like Owl droppings." Nathan said dryly. Violet ignored him.

"So let me just go over it with you again. Louis you will charm Amanda into making you cheat sheets and Vincent you will implant the false memories of the answers into my and Louis' heads."

"What about Nathan?" I spoke up.

"He can do it to himself if he wants but I figured he wouldn't want to risk that. It's hard enough performing the charm on other people."

"She's right." He said.

"Well how am I supposed to charm Amanda. I'm sure the attention of a boy isn't enough to get a straight edge like her to cheat."

"Well you're going to have to figure that out. We have one week before the final exam of term and then we're off for Christmas break. This has to work."

XxX

I spent the rest of the day trying figure out how I was going to awaken this charm inside me that I knew nothing about. The second classes were over I sprinted to the library and took out every book I could find on infatuation charms, glamours, and magical creature abilities. The search was proving fruitless sooner rather than later. Everything I came across told me about the charm and its many applications but nothing about how to use it. Soon it was almost dinner time and I was still at square one.

During dinner that night I spent a good amount of time playing with my food trying to lull the frustration that was building up inside me. I had exhausted every source in the library that I knew of that might have helped me discover the secret behind the Veela charm and had still come up with nothing. It crossed my mind to ask Hugo for help, but then he would have started asking questions and I figured the less people who knew about the plan the better. I was in the middle of drawing a crude looking face in my mashed potatoes when I felt something small and squishy hit me in the side of the face. I looked up and saw Gerard in the middle of catapulting a second pea at me. He slyly put his spoon down with a small chuckle which I did not return.

"What's wrong?" he silently mouthed to me. I ignored him. I wasn't in the mood for his games at that moment. I began to regret getting involved in Violet's little scheme and it upset me even more that I wasn't able to curb my sour mood. It wasn't long until I looked up to see Gerard sinking his way into the seat across from me.

"So I'll ask again: what's wrong?"

"I'm not supposed to talk about it." I said with a sigh checking to make sure Violet wasn't paying attention.

"Well then you don't have to." He said pulling a piece of parchment out of his robes. He pressed the parchment to his lips for a second and then clandestinely folded it before pushing it across the table in my direction. I took the parchment and opened to find an elegantly written script, "_It's called Mind Reader Parchment. I got it as a birthday present. Just blow on it to erase my writing and then press it to your lips and think about what you want to say." _I looked up from the parchment to see him smirking at me in his usual way. I looked around to make sure no one was watching before lightly blowing on the parchment and then pressing it to my lips.

"_I got myself roped into a scheme that Violet cooked up and now I'm regretting agreeing to it." _I thought. I then folded the parchment and pushed it towards him. He picked it up read it and repeated the ritual.

"_What is she having you do?"_

"_I need to get another student to write a cheat sheet for the final Potions test of the term."_

"_Why?"_

"_She wants top marks."_

"_How?"_

"_That's what's giving me trouble. I need to charm her using my birthright as a Veela but I have no idea how to control it."_

"_Hmm I see…I think I might be able to help…meet me in the dorms in five?"_

"_What about dinner?"_

"_Well it doesn't look like you're eating much so I think you'll live." _

"_True. Okay then. Five minutes." _With that I folded the parchment one last time and gave it back to Gerard who instantly got up and headed out of the Great Hall. I gave him a three minute head start before saying my goodbyes to Vincent, Violet, and Nathan and heading towards the dungeons.

XxX

I found Gerard sitting on his bed with a large book in his lap. He looked so involved in the book that I almost felt bad interrupting him. He waved me over and I took a seat next to him on the bed peering down at the book. I first saw a dense paragraph with a picture of three naked women with wings and talons perched on a rock surrounded by waves. There was what looked to be a ship that crashed into the rocks and sinking before reanimating itself, repeating the process. At the top of the page read _The Sirens_ in gold script.

"So what is this?" I asked

"I think this might be what you're looking for." He said again smirking at me. I looked down at the page again as he explained, "It says in here that Veela are distant relatives of the Sirens from ancient Greece."

"They used their songs to lead sailors to their dooms." I interjected.

"Yes."

"Why do you have this book?"

"It's one of the Care for Magical Creatures text books _Ancient Magical Creatures: The Real, The Mythical, and The Suspect._"

"Oh…" I said embarrassed that I hadn't even touched it and equally surprised that he had, "So what you're trying to tell me is that my charm is activated by song?"

"Well not that it is…but it could be. I'm not all too entirely sure…There isn't much known about the Veela as it is." He said slamming the book shut.

"Well it's a start." I said throwing myself back on his bed.

"Truly." He said doing the same.

XxX

Two days had gone by since my conversation with Gerard and I found myself quickly running out of time. Violet was on my back every second about the plan and I could feel her patience running thin. I didn't want to let her down for fear of losing our newly found friendship. The fact that our friendship was built upon shady circumstances did not alarm me; I was just desperate to stay in her good graces. I had tasted what it was it like to be in with the Slytherins and I loved it. The only thing standing between me and Violet's approval was my uncooperative birthright.

The passage that Gerard had found for me was my only lead and not a good one at that. The idea that my ancestors were the stuff of Greek myths was a hard pill to swallow. Granted I lived in a world where almost anything could be conjured at the flick of a stick but that doesn't change the fact that there are some things out there that are just too grand to believe.

As I thought this over I became more and more upset with my mother. It seemed that I was compiling quite the list of things my family had been keeping for me. I could somewhat understand why they would keep Fred's sexuality from me with what was going on between me and Dominique but why they would keep blood secrets from me was a question to which I had no answer. I voiced my frustrations to Nathan during a study session we were having in the common room.

"So what are you going to do?" He said tracing his finger along the large window. The heat inside and the cold water outside caused a fogging affect.

"I don't know that's the problem. We don't have much time and I can tell Violet isn't happy."

"So you noticed." Nathan said with a slight chuckle, "Think carefully. Was there anything that your mother did all the time that made people act strangely?"

"Well unless you count pronouncing things wrong because of her accent then, no, I can't think of anything."

"Seriously, there has to be something. You said you read something about Sirens and Veela?"

"Er…yeah." I said avoiding eye contact. I couldn't have him finding out that I had confided in Gerard.

"Well does your mother sing?"

"Not professionally no…"

"Well of course she doesn't! Are you always this daft?"

"I'm not sure, are you always such an arse?" I retorted half surprised I said it. He lifted an eyebrow at me before continuing as if nothing happened.

I tuned him out as I was still upset that he had called me daft. Next to fairy that was one of Dominique favorite insults for me. Despite being a tool Nathan had managed to spark something in my mind. I thought back to those lazy Sundays at the cottage. My mother would be swaying about the house cleaning and such and humming a melodic tune. It never sounded like anything that I heard on the radio or found in Victoire's album collection but all the same I felt like I knew it from somewhere. I couldn't grasp the melody at that point so I kept searching my brain trying to grasp the first pitch. Visions of her moving about as if she was floating all in baby blue watering her herb garden on the window sill and the face my father would give her every morning at breakfast. I wanted so much to be looked at like that but someone someday. I wanted to feel someone wrap their warm arms around my waist and whisper good morning into my ear, and to have the smell of nutmeg and vanilla fill my nose as a familiar pair of dark eyes looked down at me. The morning sun illuminated a face that completely contrasted with mine and I felt warm hands cup my face. It was then I felt it. I could feel the pitch poking at the forefront of my mind and without thinking I began to hum. The song filled my mouth like honey and dripped into the air with the same luscious viscosity. The smell of nutmeg and vanilla still filled my nose and I looked across the table to see Nathan still talking at me. His voice was muffled and sounded distant. All I could hear was the song filling the room. I slowly watched his face morph from being annoyed to completely enamored. I was so taken aback that I stopped humming but his condition did not change.

"Nathan?" I began

"Yes Louis?"

"Are you…okay?"

"I'm perfect Louis." He said with a smile. I smiled to myself, overjoyed that I had figured it out. However, before I could think of something else to say to Nathan the charm wore off and stared at me struggling to put his cold mask back on, "What happened?"

"I figured it out." I said wickedly. It seemed as if Nathan was about to congratulate me but I could see the thought process as he changed his mind and glared at me.

"What did you have me do?" he said darkly.

"Nothing…" I said with a smirk. He kept up such a front all the time that it was fun watching him squirm every so often. He stared daggers at me for a moment before continuing.

"So are you going to explain how it works?" He said sitting back in his chair.

"I'm not really sure how. I need to test it out some more before I go and use it on Amanda."

"Well now's your chance." Nathan said nodding towards the dormitories.

Coming down the stairs was a fifth year named Lisa Murdock. She was the self proclaimed Queen Bee of Slytherin and the last thing I wanted to do was test a charm I knew nothing about on her. I looked at Nathan for reassurance and he gave it to me in the form of a stiff nod. With a deep breath I turned back to Lisa and just before she went to exit the common room I began to hum. Her hand was on the door when she stopped cold and didn't move for several moments. She then slowly turned around and flashed me a dazzling smile. At that moment I knew three things from using it on her and Nathan: It worked on both sexes, It had some range, most likely that they had to be within ear shot, and there was a small window of time that charm stayed in affect after I stopped humming. I looked over to Nathan but he was already in a trance. The fact that I could not control who was under the effect of the charm posed a problem. I brought my gaze back to Lisa and motioned for her to come near me.

"Can I help you?" she said staring at me with the same dazed looked Nathan had.

"How are you Lisa?" I asked and then instantly began humming again.

"I'm perfect…um…"

"Louis."

"Louis." She repeated after me. There was a long pause and then she continued, "Well if there isn't anything else I'll be going." She said politely turning away.

"Wait!" I said with more force than necessary. She turned around and gave me a smile.

"Yes?" It was at that moment I realized that this power wasn't a mind control charm. Whoever was under it still had his or her free will.I stayed quiet for a second and looked towards Nathan who had now decided to preoccupy himself with a book. He still however had the same blissful expression on his face.

"Would you kiss Nathan?" I said without thinking.

"And why would I do that?" Lisa said laughing a little.

"Yes, why would she do that?" Nathan chimed in with a breathless voice.

"Then you don't want to?" I asked still remembering to hum after each question.

"No I don't. And I don't think he wants to either, do you Nathan?"

"Well…no…but I wouldn't object to it." He said looking her way I noticed a smirk appear on her face as she gave another chuckle.

She looked at me and then back at Nathan who at this point had an almost scary grin on his face. She bent over slowly so that she and Nathan's faces were in line and took in a slight inhale. I sat there dumbfounded not believing what I was seeing. Nathan went to say something, but before he could she closed the distance between their lips resting hers on his ever so softly. It was at that point I realized the true nature of my gift. It was a form of mild persuasion. My guess was that it made a persons mental conditions as such that they were more inclined to do what I asked of them. I still had to convince them in some way but the charm made it easier. In essence it puts a person in such a good mood that they can't help but do as I ask.

I watched them kiss for maybe a grand total of five seconds before I realized I had stopped humming out of shock because no more than moments after Lisa opened her eyes and jumped up from her position. Something akin to terror was readable all over her face as she turned beet red. It took a moment for Nathan to recover but soon his eyes opened and the same sense of fright filled his face though Lisa's had since morphed into anger.

"I—" Nathan began

"Not a word." Lisa said fuming, "Not a word of this to anyone."

"Of course not!" Nathan and I said in unison. We may have been Slytherins but we weren't idiots, the last person we wanted to play games with was Lisa Murdock.

With that she turned on her heels and stormed out of the common room muttering curses and the phrase _"bloody first years" _under her breath.

"Louis—" Nathan said darkly. I began to apologize profusely before he cut me off, "We need to tell Violet." With that he got up from the table and went up to the dorms without a word but I noticed the slightest glimmer in his eye has passed by the common room entrance that Lisa had just gone through moments before.

XxX

The next day at breakfast Violet could barely contain herself as Nathan and I explained the happenings of last night to her. I noted Lisa at the other end of the table glaring daggers at us throughout the meal which was completely understandable but still unnerving. After we finished Violet immediately went into the details of the plan. We had two days to get what we needed from her and no time to spare.

"So tell me again, what are the limits of the charm?" She said eyes sparkling.

"I have to be humming the nameless tune for it to take effect. When I stop humming I have maybe fifteen second before the charm wears off." I began

"It also isn't complete mind control." Nathan added, "I was completely aware of what I was doing and knew I could have said no if I really wanted to…but…it was as if I couldn't help myself. It only made sense to do what he suggested."

"I see." Violet said folding her arms and furrowing her brow.

"So…what's the next move?" I asked after a moment. Violet looked up at me expectantly before a sly smile that resembled Gerard's crept onto her face.

"Sit next to her during Potions. That's where we'll start. You'll have to work fast though; Saturday is just around the corner."

XxX

I walked into the Potions classroom my palms sweating so much that I had to keep wiping them dry on my robes. Violet and Nathan took their seats on the Slytherin side of the room with Vincent and Gerard. I however combed through the Hufflepuff side until my eyes rested on a head full of long, mousey, brown hair and a bright orange head band. Amanda Fitzgerald sat there in silent anticipation for that day's lesson just like she always did. I imagined that being in class with my Aunt Hermione would have been very similar to one with Amanda. She was always the first to raise her hand to answer a question and the last to finish her potions so she could be sure they were perfect. She and Hugo would have gotten along wonderfully, had they ever met.

I took my seat next to her carefully not wanting to startle her anymore than I had to. She took notice of me instantly and gave me a questioning look to which I returned a smile. She flushed a deep shade of scarlet making me hold back a chuckle. I couldn't believe that Violet was right; Amanda was really infatuated with me. I began to look around the room and wondered who else shared Amanda's feelings. Like clockwork small whispers began to bubble up around the room. Curious glances were being thrown our way. I sat there coolly looking through my Potions textbook and she sat there eyes fixed on the front of the room, her face still looking as if she had washed it with beat stew that morning. The whispers and stares were then stifled when Professor Seraphina stalked into the room in her usual fashion.

The beginning lecture came and went and soon it was time for the group-work portion of the class. We were, ironically, told to make a love potion. The potion in question was mediocre at best but then again we were only first years. I could see the heat rising in Amanda's face and the more I saw her blush the more I could feel myself beginning too. I was trying my best to keep up my cool Slytherin disposition but it proved a lot harder when actually faced with someone who fancied you. The conversation was awkward and forced, exactly how one would expect a conversation between two people like Amanda and myself to go. She answered my questions with one word answers not even giving me a chance to gain her trust. It soon became frustrating and I found myself giving up, not communicating with her unless I needed something for the potion. I thought about using my charm on her to simply smooth things over but I couldn't risk putting everyone in the class under my influence. Needless to say, Violet was not happy with my news when classes ended.

"Can't you do anything!" She exclaimed.

"What was I supposed to do? She wouldn't talk to me!" I argued but my words were met with deaf ears.

"Make it work." She said curtly before stalking down the hallway ahead of Nathan and I. It took every ounce of strength I had not to hurl my text book at her retreating frame but I held my composure

I spent the rest of the day thinking of every possible scenario that would allow me to get what I needed from Amanda but I kept drawing up blanks. By the time lunch had come I had already seen her in the corridors and had failed on both occasions, the girl wouldn't even look at me. I began to suspect that she somehow new that I was up to foul play. Something in her eyes told me that she didn't trust me...granted I was a Slytherin she really didn't have any reason to think otherwise. I vented my frustrations to Gerard over my chicken salad sandwich once Alex and Violet left the table in route to the library. He instantly saw where I was coming from which was something I could always count on him for once upon a time.

"So she specifically has to get you the answers?"

"Yes." I said almost annoyed he asked such an obvious question.

"Why?" He asked curiously.

"Violet wants her to. Something about always losing to her—it's based off of some twisted principle…"

"Does Violet even have to know who you got them from her?" He asked peering over my shoulder. I thought for a second because the thought never crossed my mind, "Or better yet they could indirectly come from her." I looked at him curiously before he motioned over my shoulder. I turned to see Amanda chatting it up with a blond girl I had never seen before. She was small, almost frail looking and had the reddest, blotchiest skin I had ever seen.

"How do I even know she's as smart as Amanda? She could very well give us the wrong answers."

"Who says Amanda still can't write them?" I looked back over to Amanda and her friend as they laughed at the other end of the room. My mind carefully began to wrap itself around Gerard's words as I watched their exchange.

"Lunch is almost over, it's now or never." Gerard said motioning to the blonde as she made her way to across the Great Hall towards the exit.

"I owe you," I said gathering my books hurriedly to follow her.

"Don't mention it mate!" he called after me. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Vincent looking in my direction quizzically. I wanted to so much to tell him everything that was going on but it was bad enough that Gerard knew. I didn't understand the motives for her secrecy at that point in time but my guess was that it had something to do with how judgmental Vincent could be. He was a Slytherin through and through but, as best as he could, he maintained a sense of honor. This, even more so as I got to know her over the years, could not be said for Violet.

XxX

The sun eventually dove behind the Forbidden Forest and the whole school was making its way to the Great Hall for dinner. I walked alongside the crowd that was coming from Ancient Runes with a pep in my step that I'm sure was completely noticeable to anyone who took the time to pay attention. The second I walked into the Great Hall I was immediately cornered by Violet and Nathan. Violet had a fierce look in her eye and Nathan stood there stone faced as ever.

"Well?" She said expectantly. By the tone of her voice she had already resigned herself to thinking that I would fail. Given that, watching her face morph from one of agitation to one of complete surprise was a sight to behold as I pulled a square piece of parchment out of my robes. She snatched it from my hands to check it over before jumping up and wrapping her arms around me.

"Well , look at that. She's probably going to marry you now." Nathan said flatly.

"Oh sod off Nathan!" Violet retorted in a snarky tone, "So tomorrow before Breakfast we'll meet in the Owlry again so that you can perform the memory spell." She said directed at Nathan who nodded, "Perfect. You've really come through Louis. I guess I'll keep you around." She gave me a wink before turning on her heels and making her way towards the Slytherin table.

"So how did you get it from her? Last time I checked she wouldn't even let you get near her." Nathan asked as we followed behind Violet.

"Well Nathan…a true magician never—"

"Oh shut up." He said breathlessly before speeding up ahead of me and sitting down.

Just before I reached the table I caught the eye of Gerard. He gestured towards Violet and gave me a questioning look which I returned with a smirk. In the past few days I had become very close to Gerard as well as Nathan and Violet for that matter. It seemed as if I was forming actual relationships with these people and it felt good. That day I took a seat next to Vincent who was instantly surprised by the sunny disposition that I was sporting.

"So how are you feeling this fine evening?" He said in a mock formal tone.

"Smashing!" I said matching his tone. For a second I lost myself in his eyes and shook myself out of it before he could notice.

I had missed that feeling that entire week. I had missed him.

**End of Section I: Year I**

****_(A/n: Sorry this one took so long but I had to get re-inspired with this story. I know what I want to do with it but it was a matter of sitting myself down and putting the words on the page. This chapter has been revised maybe 8 times haha but now I'm back and ready to take you on a tour of Louis's life. Some quick notes for you that I wouldn't need to point out if it were a finished work and not one that needed to be updated periodically. I just don't want to lose any of you along the way. This story takes place in four sections each of which deal with a half an academic year in Louis' life at Hogwarts. The years are in order but not all the years are represented. I will be dealing with years 3, 5, and 7 next and each sections starts off in the seasons that the last left off but jumps a year in the future. So the the next Section (Section II: Year III) will start off during the Winter Break of his third year. Again I wouldn't normally want to see this here but this isn't a finished work but a work in progress so being that you guys are on this journey with me I felt it was necessary to give you some road signs along the way. Once it is finished I'll go back and reload these chapters without author's notes because you won't need any at that point...the completed story will speak for itself. So thanks so much for hanging in there with me and the next chapter will be up asap...I'm not gonna make an indefinite promises except that I **will not** be abandoning this story so help me God haha. So anyways...don't forget to review! 3) _


	9. Chapter 9

**Section II: Year III**

Chapter 9

_**I loved winters at the cottage. **_I could spend hours out there sitting on the beach wrapped in a blanket. I would watch the waves crash into each other before disintegrating into little ripples bubbling up on the shore. I sat there in my favorite spot letting the cold wind bite at my face and taking in the hazy, over cast sky when I felt someone sit down next to me. I gentle hand reached out towards me holding a mug and gladly took it, letting the warmth creep up my fingers as the scent of hot cocoa made its way to my nose. Victoire always knew how to make a good situation grand and I always welcomed her company. It was the second week of winter break and soon it would be time for the annual Weasley Christmas Dinner. For the first time in my life I was not looking forward to that dinner and Victoire could see it all over my face.

"You know that you don't have to go right?" She said trying to soften my mood.

"You know you don't have to lie to me right?" I replied coldly taking a sip of hot cocoa. She knew that it wasn't coming from a malicious place—I was just frustrated.

"Yeah…you're too old to fall for that now aren't you?" She said ruffling my blonde hair. I couldn't hide my smile, no matter how much of a Slytherin I might have been, "I'm sure things are fine now. She can't possibly still be mad."

"Then you don't know Lily as well as you think you do. She get's as pissed off as her mother and hangs onto crap like her father. And award winning combination right there."

"Don't talk about your aunt and uncle that way! And you still have Hugo so all isn't completely lost."

"I guess you're right but with Lily on one side and Dominique on the other I might as well sign my death papers."

"Don't be dramatic—"

"It's been two years Vic, two whole years and Lily hasn't come to terms with the house I belong to! Dom is just going to latch onto who ever she can when it comes to hating me and who better than my ex-best friend? Lily's a prat and Dom is a parasite. It's going to be the Christmas from hell." She a stiff silence settle in after my rant only combated by the passing waves and rushing winter wind.

"Well you have two choices: You can go there defeated from the start or you cannot let them see you cry. Which is it going to be?" She said wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

"You haven't seen me cry in two years…I'm not going to break my record now." I said smirking at her.

"Brilliant." She said returning my smirk, "Come on, it'll be time to leave soon."

I enter the cottage to a familiar scene. Teddy and my father sat at the kitchen talking Wizarding Politics and my mother was busy putting the finishing touches on her Pecan Tarts which she was preparing for that day's gathering. Usually no one was allowed to help Molly prepare but Grandma always made room for my mother's Pecan Tarts the recipe for which she has kept a secret to this day. Dominque was busying herself with her diary in the living room and I hoped that I would be able to make it upstairs without her noticing me. Almost as if she sensed my dilemma Victoire went over to her and stuck up a conversation giving me the perfect cover to slip upstairs unnoticed.

It was strange how even after two years of the Slytherin lifestyle I was still unable to stand up to her. Something about her constant jabs to my sexuality left me powerless and it didn't help any that the very thing she was picking on me for happened to be a very valid characteristic of mine. I had come to terms with my sexuality during my second year after I had been having dreams of myself and Vincent kissing under moonlight and such. I thought that it was something that I could easily admit to myself but Dominique's constant insults still stung as much as they had when I didn't give a second thought to sex. Granted I was thirteen at the time and had not yet had the sex talk with my parents or my peers so there wasn't much to think about at that time either. All I knew as that she was right and that upset me more than anything.

I entered my room and immediately grabbed my messenger bag in which I stuck several gifts of varying size. The bag was enchanted to be bottom less so there was a great deal of stuff I could fit in there. I spent hours wrapping all of the presents for all of my relatives and would have been damned if they all hadn't received them. Even Lily who was not talking to me at the time got one. I had bought her a set of limited addition Quidditch playing cards which featured her favorite team, the Wigtown Wanderers. I knew she was going like the gift, it was just a matter of if she was going to like who it was from. It hurt so much that Lily couldn't see past the emerald green of my house emblem but the blood of her Gryffindor heritage ran warm and thick. Every time we saw each other there was either silence or a fight. There was a time when I would have walked away from any sort of confrontation but I was not that same boy any more. Dominique was enough to deal with, I didn't need someone else having control over me let alone someone who couldn't control herself. I refused to see her side of the story because in my mind she was wrong. She was wrong for not accepting, she was wrong for turning her back on me, and she was wrong for letting her house become her identity. The more I thought about the more I began to feel sick to my stomach with loathing and there I was clutching a present for her that had cost me more than any other gift I had bought anyone that year. I had a mind to hurl it at the wall but before my mind could relay that message to my body I heard a sharp knock on my open door frame.

"It's time to go now or would you rather change into one of Victoire's dresses first?" I heard Dominique's drawling voice call to me from the hallway.

"I might as well it's not like you could fit into any of them." I said trying to push past her but before my feet could even step out of the door way I met hard force pushing me against my chest and I felt backwards onto the floor hitting my back against the side of the bed. My bag spilled open and there were presents everywhere.

"Watch your mouth you bloody faggot." She said eye fuming. It only took her a minute to register but she caught onto the weakness in my eyes. A smile crept along her lips.

"What was that noise, is everything alright?" My mother called upstairs.

"Every thing's fine, Louis just tripped over his snow boats." Dominique said, lying through her teeth.

"Louis I told you to clean up your room yesterday. _Cessez de jouer et de venir au rez-de-chaussée! _It is time to go!"

With one last sneer Dominique turned around and made her way down the stairs. She had won again, and on Christmas.

XxX

There is nothing in this world like a Weasley Christmas. I dare any one family, wizard or muggle, to say that their celebration is comparable. From the second my family flooed through the fireplace we were met with warm greetings and smiling faces. The Burrow was just as I remembered it in times past: cluttered, rustic, and it smelled of cinnamon and pine. It was perfect place to celebrate the Holidays. I looked across the room and my eyes rested on Lily over by the fireplace talking with Hugo over what I assumed to be cranberry punch, her favorite drink of the holiday season. With the weight of several bags of coal hanging at the back of my heels I made my way over to them trying my best not to look apprehensive. Hugo caught sight of me and jumped up to greet me while Lily acted as if I had not even arrived.

"Oh come on Lily are we really going to start this again?" Hugo asked obviously annoyed with the situation. Lily reeled around so fast that I was sure her neck had dislocated from the rest of her body. She threw Hugo a mean glare and then fancied it in my direction before getting up from her place on the arm of the couch and pushed passed me to go to the kitchen. I was about to say something but Hugo quickly put a hand on my shoulder. That was, as the muggles say, strike one for Lily.

"So how has your vacation been so far?" Hugo asked trying to lighten the mood. I was so apprehensive about coming to the event that I had almost forgotten about how much I missed Hugo. He had grown a lot of the past few years and was no taller than me even. He proving to be just as lanky as his father and he was letting his hair grow out to what I suspect Aunt Hermione's hair must have looked like during her days at Hogwarts: large and unruly.

"It's been fine. I can't complain really."

"What about Dominique?" He asked taking a sip of his punch.

"Well I figured that went without saying. She's being a royal twat." I replied

"LOUIS!" He exclaimed spitting out some of his punch, "I don't know why you insist on talking like that."

"What? Am I lying?"

"Well no but still that doesn't mean you have to say it! What if someone were to hear you?"

"Oh let them here, they're all thinking it and if they aren't they're daft."

"You've changed a great deal. Slytherin has really made an impact on you." He began. I instantly became defensive.

"Not you too Hugo. You can't possibly tell me that you're siding with Lily!"

"Well no I'm not siding with her, she's being over dramatic but she does have a point." He said in his all knowing tone. As I got older and deeper into adolescences I began to dislike that tone more and more, "Ever since you made your new friends you stopped hanging out with us as much, you've become sarcastic, condescending, and lewd."

"All this is true but it's how you have to be to survive that house. You two don't know what it's like to teeter on that edge between making friends and keeping up face. It is all about appearance and the last thing I can afford to do is appear to be the same weak blond hair pale faced boy who cried after his sorting." I said passionately. I distinctly remember practicing that speech in front of my mirror several times, "And when it comes to hanging out with you guys I don't see her giving you the cold shoulder for hanging out with your Ravenclaw friends. The only reason she is treating me this way is because I am in Slytherin and her proud Gryffindor arse can't stick her lion's tale between her legs and get over it."

"There is no question that she is displacing her pride as a Gryffindor into this problem somewhat but you have to keep in mind her situation." He said understandingly.

"What situation? Being sorted into the house of your dreams surrounded by your family? Merlin, she has it tough that one."

"Don't you see the problem there? She can see her family any time but we were her friends. We were supposed to be each other's rocks at that school and she feels like you've betrayed that. She's upset because she thinks you've found you rock in your new friends." He said motioning to Lily who was now sitting at the kitchen table by her self staring blankly into space. I had never seen her like that before, it was almost scary.

"I figured as much." I said flatly. I could feel the uneasiness rising in my stomach and I could see the gears in Hugo's head beginning to turn. Almost instantaneously I reached into my messenger bag and pulled out a medium sized square box covered in blue and silver wrapping paper, "Merry Christmas!" I exclaimed pushing the present into his face. No matter how smart Hugo was he could never resist a present which was the perfect deflector of more probing conversation.

As I watched Hugo drool over the stationary set I had bought him, which included enchanted quills that never ran out of ink, I surveyed the room in my usual fashion. I had quickly made a habit of people watching and it quickly became one of my favorite past times. There is nothing more interesting than watching family members interact with each other and I found this especially true during holiday celebrations. This was how I had picked up on an avoidance Dominique seemed to have to our cousin Rose, Hugo's older sister. I wasn't sure why at the time but any time Rose would get within ten feet of her she would do everything and anything in her power to get out of the way. It's was strange behavior to exhibit to someone like Rose who was nothing but pleasant all the time. I like to think to myself that Dominique avoid Rose as means of not catching her "niceness" and losing her edge.

It was also at this time that I made special note of our cousins Fred II and his "friend" Ryan who sat in the corner clandestinely playing with each other's hands. I sat there and watched as they carried on conversations with almost every adult in the room all the while their hands were constantly intertwining, fingers lacing in and out and around each other. I was sick with jealousy. Either everyone in my family was completely clueless or my suspicions first year were right and they had been keeping things from me. Regardless all I could think about is how it would feel to be able to hold Vincent's hand like that. I wanted to feel his soft skin underneath my finger tips and to proudly declare him as mine in front of my family without even so much as batting an eyelash. The more I watched them the angrier I became and without thinking I shot up from my seated position next to Hugo and stalked outside into the cool winter air.

The grounds of The Burrow looked much like Hogwarts in the winter time. It seemed as if it were an endless expanse of rolling hills all covered in the softest snow one could imagine. I instantly regretted not retrieving my coat before my little exit but I never did think things through when I lost my cool like that. In truth I wasn't angry Fred, or Ryan, or even my family for that matter. It was more of an inward frustration at my cowardice. I began to realize how strange it must have looked to everyone that I was standing outside in the cold by myself so I started to head back inside when I saw Hugo in the doorway warily looking at me. I didn't mean to worry him but this wasn't something I wanted to share with him or anyone for that matter. Not at that moment anyway.

Grandma Molly called to us from the kitchen saying that it was time for dinner and we exuberantly rushed into the house without missing a beat. Regardless my emotional state I could always count on Molly's cooking to get me out of whatever pit I was in. I piled my plate eye with my favorites and followed Hugo to the upstairs to our usual spot in Ron's old bedroom. With how big our family had gotten it was impossible to fit us all at the table so we all spread out as we saw fit throughout the house. When we reached Ron's room we saw that the door was already open and there Lily sat on one of the beds her plate of food in her lap.

"I didn't think you would actually bring him up here." She said coldly.

"Why wouldn't I? The three of us have always eaten up here since we were little! It's tradition Turnip." Hugo said walking into the room and taking a seat. As if on cue Lily turned her signature shade of red.

"Well I'm not staying if he is." She said indefinitely. Hugo began to protest but it was too late. That was strike two.

"No it's fine. I'll leave." I said turning around, "Besides all this scarlet is hurting my eyes. Someone should really redecorate the place." I looked over my shoulder to see if I was having an effect of on her and her face was redder than ever, "Perhaps….some green." And with that I slammed the door behind me. It only took a second but I heard a loud swear come from behind that door and the sound of a dish hitting it. I didn't feel bad for one second. She had started it.

Not wanting to face Dominique downstairs in the living room I worked my way through The Burrow until I happened upon Ginny's room. It was small room with two bed and aside from splashes of pink and magenta in her quilting, it looked identical to Ron's. I began to eat in silence cursing Lily's name in between bites. Regardless of how she may feel about my House standing she was now going out of her way to make my life difficult which put her in the same place as Dominique. I started hearing footsteps creaking on the old wood floors and before I could who it was Rose poked her head inside the room.

"Mind if I join you Louis?" She said her bright blue eyes gleaming.

"Of course not." I said inviting her to sit on the bed across from me.

XxX

Rose was a vision to say the least. Contrary to her name sake she had deep chestnut colored hair like her mother but it was straight and sleek like her fathers. She almost always wore down and had the characteristic fair skin that all Weasley's were known for. She was without a doubt one of the prettier ones which to no surprise was something Dominique hated. We talked for what seemed like centuries about school and our friends and family. I had never realized how much we had in common or how much we actually connected. I was astounded that we hadn't actually talked until then, granted we never had a reason to. I was always gallivanting around with Hugo and Lily so with her being two years my senior there was no reason for us to get closer than that of extended family members. Also she was Hugo's sister so of course he did nothing but complain about her. It was nice to find out that even he had his moments of inexplicable immaturity.

By the time we had finished our food and started heading downstairs it was time for the giving of gifts. Instead of trying to place every single gift under a tree we just went around to each family member and exchanged gifts. I usually got the same thing from everyone so there was never much mystique to the whole ordeal. Hugo found me instantly and handing me his package which was thoughtfully wrapped in green wrapping paper with and a black ribbon. I hugged him tightly and apologized for what had happened upstairs. He nodded towards me with a smile and we parted ways to deliver the rest of our gifts.

All of mine had been exchanged by the end of the night except for one which belonged to no other than Lily. I had watched her out of the corner of my eye the whole night and was dreading this moment more than anything. At that point I just wanted to exchange what we had and not draw it out for longer than we needed to. I walked over to her position at the fireplace and instantly reached into my bag.

"What are you doing?" She asked me in an edgy tone.

"Giving you your gift, what else would I be doing?" I asked confused.

"I don't know. I can never be sure what you Slytherins are up to now can I?"

"What are you playing at Lily? Why do you always have to start this? Can't you just be civil?"

"Civil? As if you know the meaning of that word."

"Why does it upset you so much? It's not like I can control what house I'm in. Why can't you just get off of your high horse for one second and—"

" I didn't get you anything so you can go now." She said flatly. I couldn't believe what was happening. She refused to hear anything I had to say.

That was strike three.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out her present and held in my hand delicately.

"It's pack of the limited addition Quidditch Cards that you always wanted." I said in a silky voice, "Despite what is going on between us I want you to have them." I watched her face change from one of heated hatred to one of desperate longing. She had been eyeing those cards for years but could never convince her mother so splurge on them.

"I—"

"Don't think just take them before I change my mind." I said cutting her off.

She slowly went to go reach for the package but just before her fingers could touch the wrapping paper I flipped my hand over and watched the box fall into the burning embers of the fire place. There was a hiss as I watched the box burn and the magic from the cards seeped out into the air in the form of a purple cloud of smoke. I could see the hurt on her face as she watched those cards burn at her feet. I hadn't realized that they were that important to her but all the more reason to do what I did. In my mind at the time she deserved it. She looked up at me with intense anger in her watering eyes, her face as red as the flames that engulfed her precious Quidditch cards.

"See you at school." I said lightly and turned around. If it was war she wanted it was a war she was going to get. As far as I was concerned her and Dominique had made their own beds and it was about time they laid in them.

XxX

The second we flooed back to the cottage I bounded the stairs en route straight to my room. My face burned with anger as I marched up the stairs determined to drown out my mother's questions and Dominique's never ending commentary. I had a mind to turn around and curse her but I wasn't feeling that bold. I had filled my boldness quota for the night with Lily and I was surprised that I hadn't elicited a bigger response from her. I was sure I had the presence of our parents, aunts, and uncles, to thank for that.

Once I entered my room I slammed the door behind me and started pacing around going over the entire encounter to myself getting more and more enraged as time went on. Who did she think she was passing judgment on me? I had done nothing up until that point to warrant her cold shoulder so the present was the last straw. It wasn't even the fact that she didn't get me anything but more so the fact that she consciously chose not to, knowing that it would hurt me. She could had said a lot of things about me but she couldn't say that I went out of my way to hurt her…at least until that night. My actions were cold, deliberate, and meaningful. If she wanted to dish it out she was going to have to be willing to take it. Every spoonful. I must have been pacing rather loudly because a soft tap came at my door.

"I don't want to talk right now Victoire!" I said half hazardously, pushing my back against the door to keep her from coming in.

"It's your father." His low voice said from on the other side of the door. My stomach instantly went into my chest as I tried to change my tone.

"I'm a little tired right now," I lied, "I think I'm just going to go to bed."

"I just want to talk for a bit. I saw what you did to Lily." I felt my palms grow wet and my face get hot., "Why would you do something like that to her?"

"You didn't see what she did to me." I said darkly while still trying to be as respectful to my father as possible. He was a gentle man at most times but the venom of a werewolf ran deep in his veins which made his anger not like that of a regular man or at least that is what I would tell myself. There was just something different about him when he got mad, it wasn't like the other Weasley men. His anger was calm, low, and forceful. Even when his voice was raised there was a eerie calmness to it that made my back go numb, "Last time I checked the three of you were best friends. What changed?"

"Apparently I did."

"Well have you?"

"Yes but she's acting like I'm a completely different person! I'm still Louis, I'm still her cousin that she's known since we were in diapers!"

"Have you told her this?"

"She won't give me the chance. Every time she just shuts me down so tonight was it. I'm done trying."

"You're going to just throw your relationship away after all these years?" I could hear the genuine hurt in his voice. He had always loved seeing Hugo, Lily, and myself attached at the hip.

"If it's so easy for her why shouldn't it be that easy for me?" I asked a little edgier that I meant to but he either ignored it or didn't notice.

"Well the Louis I know would never do that." There was a stiff silence and then I heard his footsteps head away from the door and become more distant down the hallway.

I couldn't speak and I couldn't move. Those words whistled in my head for what seemed like ages. My own father, though he didn't out right say it, felt that I had changed. I wasn't his little boy anymore and I wasn't sure how to feel about it in that instant. I look back on that conversation and I see now the fear and worry that his words were laced with. At the time however, my warped mind twisted them into a positive. I wasn't the same Louis at that point. I was a Louis who didn't let anyone walk all over him. I wasn't the same boy desperately dreading his eleventh birthday and fearing if no one would like him. I was the boy who made people like him and if they didn't then they were expendable like everyone else. I convinced myself that he was proud of me because I didn't need his protection anymore. I could take care of myself and I was going to use the tools I had gained in my past two and a half years at Hogwarts to do so. I went to bed satisfied that night.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

_**Weeks had gone by since the Christmas party at The Burrow and things had nestled back into normality with the exception of my and Lily's relationship. **_Victoire had tried a few times to mediate the situation but Lily and I weren't making her job easy. For the first time I found myself trying to avoid Victoire at all cost as a means to keep from discussing the matter any further. I had more pressing business to take care of in the form of a visit to Vincent's for the remainder of vacation into the beginning of next term. It would be an understatement to say that I was excited for the visit. Though we kept up with each other in the form of letters I hadn't actually had a conversation with him, let alone seen him, since we parted ways at Platform 9 ¾. A house elf would be arriving that morning via apperation (which is something I still haven't gotten used to almost seventeen years later) so I was busying myself in my room packing my bottomless trunk with everything I would need for the rest of my vacation as well as anything I would need for Hogwarts. It took a lot of convincing to get my mother to agree to the visit. Though she wasn't a Weasley by blood she shared their heart and love for family. The last thing she wanted was her youngest born away from home on the holidays and though she wouldn't say it, the fact that it was the Zabini household I would be staying at did not sit well with her either. It was actually my father who convinced her to let me go which surprised me. Having been involved in the war first hand one would think that he wouldn't support the idea but I like to think that almost losing his life taught him about what was important. Happiness among family members and allowing his children to experience new things in this world are more important than blood feuds…at least that is what he told my mother.

I was packing away the tie that Vincent had given me during my first year when I heard a large crack followed by Dominique screaming at the top of her lungs and dropping or knocking over something that most definitely shattered. There was a moment of silence before my mother awkwardly called upstairs to inform me of a guest. I was about to toss the tie in the trunk before I thought better of it. I felt the smooth silk in my hand and the many memories we had shared the past two years as friends filled my head. I went over fond visions of study sessions, snow ball fights, and late night horror stories as I delicately took the tie and tied it around my neck in the way that he did. I had always found it to be very elegant. I stood there in front of the mirror looking at myself in my light blue button down shirt, Slytherin tie, and denim jeans imagining him standing next to me resting his chin on my shoulder. It was almost sickening how much I did that. Another shrill call from my mother brought me back from my dream and to the reality of the situation; in just a few moments I would be by Vincent's side as opposed to pretending I was. I whirled around from the mirror and gave the room one last scan for anything I might have missed. Feeling confident that I had everything I needed I gave the trunk a light slap and it instantly began to float and trail behind me like a stray dog. I never once underestimated the usefulness of an enchanted trunk. How Muggles got by without them I will never know.

When I reached the bottom of the stairs I saw Dominique in the living room angrily cleaning up what I took to be a broken mug and in the kitchen my mother and father were huddled together deep in conversation with someone I could not see. I walked closer and found a house elf that was maybe six inches shorter than me standing between my parents. At the sight of me it immediately shoved through them and clasped my hand. I took note of how much smaller the house elves' hands were in comparison to mine as well as much clammier.

"You must be Master Louis you must! I am Madeline. Master Versailles is very excited for your arrival!" She said her large eyes gleaming up at me. I was taken aback by her use of Vincent's full name. It sounded so formal coming from her.

"Be safe." My mother said wrapping her arms around me from behind. I felt a strong pressure on my left shoulder that could only be the hand of my father, his silent way of saying the same. I looked over towards the kitchen table and saw Dominique pouring herself a class of fresh orange juice eyeing me like a hawk.

"Bye Dom." I said with a forced smile. She simply tilted her head to the side and smiled back taking a sip of her juice. I could tell she was up to something but I couldn't guess what.

Without delay I summoned my trunk to my side and went next to Madeline. She gripped my hand tightly as I took one last look at my parents. It wasn't that I was sad but I would be lying if I didn't admit to the nervousness that crept up in my stomach as the thought of spending the holidays away from my family began to materialize into something tangible. Madeline asked if I was ready and I nodded to her solemnly. Just half a second before Madeline was poised to apperate I heard Dominique squeal something from behind me and I turned around. The last thing I saw was her smiling face and the glass in her hands that was now empty.

XxX

When we reached our destination I almost toppled over from the force of apperation. It was my first time so I was a bit queasy. To add insult to injury I noticed that the entire right side of my body was soaking wet and I smelled like the wood polish my grandma uses for her furniture. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes as I began to blurt out curses and Dominique's name. She always knew how to take a perfectly good moment and make it one I wish I didn't have to live through. Of all the days for her to ruin I couldn't believe she would pick this one. She couldn't just let me go she had to send me a parting gift in the form of large glass of orange juice all over my person.

In my fit I hadn't realized that we had reached our destination. I caught a glimpse of the elaborate emerald and onyx rug beneath my feet and my eyes trailed along the floor and up a wall of books until I had taken in the entire room. We were in a study somewhere in Zabini Manor. There was a large cherry wood desk in the room and the walls were lined with books. I turned on myself and was met with three large windows with a checker wrought iron design on each of them. Outside tiny specs of white fluff floated down from the sky past my line of sight. It was then that I realized this was not the ground level. For all I knew we would have been on the sixth floor of his home and I began to feel self conscious about my humble up bringing at the cottage. Before I could get deeper into my funk I felt a small tug at the side and looked to see Madeline looking awkwardly up at me.

"I don't mean to be presumptuous, but I think it would be best if we got you out of those clothes." Needless to say I agreed with her. She went over to my trunk and tapped it with the tip of her finger it turned around in place for a second before heading out of the study through a large pair of cherry wood doors and down the corridor, "It will take you to Master Versailles' room" She said with a smile. I thanked her and hurried after my trunk before I lost it.

After working its way through what felt like miles of extravagant hallway my trunk finally came to rest in front of a wooden door that resembled the many I had past moments ago. My hand was twitching with anticipation as I reached out to the door knob. On the other side of this door Vincent was waiting for me and I picked that moment to start having cold feet. I took a deep breath which got rid of my nerves long enough for me to swing the door open as if I was taking off a bandaid. I heard the door hit the wall and my eyes quickly scanned the room till they rested on a pair of broad shoulders cased in an orange sweater. He had matured much faster than me physically, looking more like a man than any other third year boy that I knew, except maybe Alex. He turned his head and flashed a brilliant smirk my way, his chestnut colored eyes gleaming in the flickering light coming from the fire place in his room.

"Oranges?" He said walking towards me, "That's a bold scent."

"It's not by choice I promise you." I felt my breath hitch has he stepped in front of me. He didn't seem to notice

"I can see that." He said pulling a piece of pulp out of my hair, "You're wet too…a parting gift from Dominique?"

"The one and only."

"Let's get you into something less _citrusy_" He said walking over to a door to my right. He opened it to reveal a large walk in closet that could have been its own room.

"Merlin. All of this is yours?" I said in awe following after him.

"Well obviously. Who else's would it be?" He said stifling a laugh. It was a stupid question, "So how was the annual Weasley Christmas party?" He asked digging through one of the many drawers tucked away inside the wall.

"Exactly as I thought it was going to be." I said preoccupied with the plethora of clothes that lined the walls, "It still completely confuses me how she can be as mad as she is. It's been three years now, get over it."

"Though I understand how she feels…I would have to agree."

"So am I going to meet your parents tonight?" I asked still marveling at the closet.

"Probably not. Father is out as he usually is."

"What about your mother."

"She...died."

"Oh, I'm sorry" I said taken aback.

"Don't worry about it. I was young, I honestly don't have any memories of her. Here!" He said throwing a bundle of clothes at me. I thought to protest that I put on my own clothes but I decided against it."Madeline!" He called out in an authoritative tone. Instantly the mild mannered house elf appeared behind me with a crack, "Take Louis to the bathroom. By the time you're finished dinner should be ready. Madeline, be sure that my guest makes it on time." It's silly but I blushed slightly at his use of the word _my_ in reference to me.

"Done and Done Master Versailles!" She said with a deep bow. I caught Vincent rolling his eye at the use of his full name as I turned from the closet and followed Madeline to the bathroom.

XxX

Walking behind Madeline was a lot easier than following my trunk through the halls of Zabini Manor. She trotted in front of me at a casual pace making small talk about the history of the manor and her excitement about my presences. I found it hard to pay much attention to her with all the art lining the walls as well as my Vincent's conversation still ringing in my ears. He never really talked about his family so it was different hearing him divulge something to me. I entertained my thoughts for the remainder of the walk fighting the urge not to run back to Vincent's room and embrace him. It wasn't until we came to a stop in front of another door and Madeline turned to me with a smile that she said something that demanded my attention

"Here is the bathroom, I'll be back in about an hour for dinner. Our other guests should be here around that time."

"Another guest?" I asked but before I received an answer she was gone with a crack. I cursed myself for not paying attention to her during our little trip to the bathroom.

I cracked the door open to the bathroom and was just as taken aback by it as I was his bedroom. It seemed criminal that his bathroom was bigger than my bedroom. Endless expanses of the teal tile with little accents of gold lined the floor with black onyx fixtures including a large circular tub about the size muggle car met my eyes. As my feet met the floor a surge of heat and jealousy ran through me as I realized that they were in fact heated. How I had been living for thirteen years outside of such opulence was beyond me. I noted staying in that house, if you could even call it that, would be another perk of being able to call Vincent mine. Without wasting any time I went over to the bathtub and turned on the hot water and dropped in some oils and soaps I found waiting for me in a cluster on the sink. It was only a matter of seconds before I was completely naked and neck deep in suds and warm water. I was tempted to just use the combination of scents that I was sure Vincent used bUT I opted for sweet grass, and sea air—two scents that I was all too familiar with. I may have been sitting there no more than fifteen minutes when I heard a sharp knock on the door.

"Madeline already? I swore you said at least an hour!" I protested sinking my head beneath the water. Whilst under I could hear the muffled sound of the door being opened and shut and I instantly had no desire to be met with Madeline's huge, overly gleeful eyes. When I poked my head to the surface I wasn't met with the beady eyes of a house elf but the cunning, hazel eyes of my classmate and best friend Gerard. I had to mentally stop myself from jumping out of the pool of water to hug him.

"So you've made yourself at home I see." He said sitting on the edge of the tub and splashing a little water in my face. He had shaved down the sides of his head to a shorter length than the top that gave him a modern, mature look. It wasn't uncommon for people at school to confuse him for a fifth year.

"You didn't see Dominique's handy work. Had she given you the present she had given me you would be right in here with me."

"And you would like that wouldn't you?" He said narrowing his eyes at me in his usual fashion. I was positive his hawk like eyes noticed the instant my cheeks flushed scarlet.

"Sod off!" I said trying to turn away from him slightly to hide but the rest of my pale body was betraying me. I could have always blamed it on the heat of the water but he would have seen right through that in a second. It didn't help that I remembered I was completely naked and he was just sitting there eyeing me though I was hopeful that with all of the suds he couldn't see anything, "So what are you doing here? You have to be the other guest that Madeline was talking about."

"Well I come here every year so it is actually I who should be asking you what you're doing here." He said folding his arms, "Whose pecker did you mind to get an invite? I know it wasn't Vincent's." I felt myself grow even redder but this time with fear. He always teased me about my sexuality even though he had no proof that I was in fact gay. It was just something he would use to get under my skin. He wasn't malicious like Dominique, I knew it was coming from jovial place but that didn't make it any less uncomfortable.

"No one's you arse, Vincent invited me before the end of term. What is this some kind of Slytherin get together that everyone knows about?" I said beginning to feel like an idiot for thinking that it was going to be some well spent alone time with Vincent.

"Well no. It's usually just the two of us." My spirit leapt at his words and out of the corner of my eye I could see that he noticed, "Of course it was my idea to invite you…I just wasn't sure if he would actually do it." I turned to him to see if he was misleading me but his facial features were bright and friendly though his hazel eyes seemed to glow with mystery. Even after three years of friendship I couldn't read him and he had a habit of telling half truths or just flat out lies though none of these, to my knowledge at the time, were directed at me.

"Well I'm glad you thought to. This place is gorgeous." I said trying to change the subject.

"Truly, it is an architectural marvel." He said not taking his eyes off of me.

"I'm sure your place is just as a extravagant."

"Extravagant, yes, Just as extravagant, by no means. I would venture to say that the only place bigger than this is…well was Malfoy Manor before the war."

"Have you been there?"

"Only as a babe. But it's hard to take in the size of a house when you're nine months old and can't see past your mum's tit now isn't? My father just always talks about how the Malfoy's used to be the _it_ family of the purebloods but now they are a bunch of Potter kiss arses."

"So then I take it your father doesn't think too highly of my family?"

"Your ability to pick up on context clues astounds me." He said splashing me with water.

"Well I'm sure he would be jumping for joy at the idea of you spending your winter vacation with me."

"Like most teenagers I tend to keep my private life private from my parents. As far they're concerned Vincent and I are pissing on portraits of Albus Dumbledore." Despite how disrespectful it was I found it hard not to laugh. "I'm surprised you haven't been there. Aren't you related to Scorpious or his father and Potter used to blow each other or something?"

"I'm going to ignore that last statement." Gerard flashed a smirk, "He's a close family friend is all." I said splashing him back.

"Oh I see I see. Good to know." He said returning fire. The splashing fight that ensued was nothing but intentional. I acted coy in my usual fashion but I knew full well what I was doing. The question was more so why I was doing it. I had never thought of Gerard in the romantic sense but something about the way he had been looking at me our entire tub side conversation made me change my tune. For a moment all thoughts of Vincent were pushed out of my head as the sounds of boyish laughter and spattering water bounced off of the tiles. It wasn't long before Gerard lost his footing and fell into the bathtub with me. There for a moment where everything stopped. I gazed at the soaking wet man sitting there between my legs fully clothed and blushing. His hazel eyes fluttered like small birds looking for a place to rest. I stood stone still thinking of ways I could get him off of me without causing a scene but all the while unsure of if I wanted to get him off. Gerard went to speak but a sharp knock at the door jolted us from our positions.

"Is everything alright in there?" the shrill voice of Madeline asked from the other side.

"Just fine!" Gerard answered before I could speak up. He looked back at me with his signature smirk.

"…Oh….alright then….dinner will be served in ten minutes…do…be on time Master Versailles will be waiting." Madeline said obviously uncomfortable. I could hear her scurrying off before I was able to say thank you.

"And that children is how you avoid an awkward situation. Any questions?" Gerard said mockingly like one of our professors forcing a chuckle out of me. It was at that moment Madeline's words set in.

"Yes. Where is my towel?" I said curtly reaching for it off of rack and wrapping it around myself. Vincent will be waiting.

"Problem?" Gerard asked raising his brow.

"It's nothing." I said before storming out of the bathroom. Vincent will be waiting.

"You're going to leave me to clean all of this shit up! Bullocks!" I heard him call after me but I was to lost in thought to even think about responding.

I didn't know why I took it out on him, lord knows he didn't deserve it. I just couldn't bear to look at him anymore. I couldn't make sense of everything that I was feeling. I knew how I felt about Vincent and I knew what he meant to me but here I was having one of my first experiences as a homosexual with our best friend. It should have been Vincent in the tub with me. I wanted it to be Vincent in the tub with me, but it wasn't. What upset me most wasn't even that it wasn't Vincent in the tub…what upset me most is that I didn't mind that it was Gerard.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

**_It was only a moment or two before I began to regret running out the way that I did._ **It had completely slipped my mind that I had no idea where I was going. Vincent's house was like a maze and I was the lone mouse aimlessly trotting around in a confused daze. However, I foolishly told myself that being lost in this wilderness of plush furniture and expensive art was better than spending another second in Gerard's presence. I must have relived the moment in my head a hundred times since stalking away from the bathroom in nothing but a towel. I could feel his hazel eyes boring into me with a strange mix of interest and fright. That was probably the part that scared me the most. In my three years of knowing Gerard I have never seen fright in his eyes. Mischief, greed, contempt, and judgement—yes but fear was something I thought I he didn't know. But there it was, clear as day, a fear that I could only imagine coming from myself every time I looked at Vincent.

After about thirty minutes of searching I could feel my legs growing tired. It was times like then that made me wish I had taken up some sort of athletics. I was such a weak child. Luckily a familiar pop came in front of me and Madeline soon followed the sound looking worried as can be. Before I could say anything she grabbed my hand and without even so much as a peep apperated us to another room. This room was obviously made for a guest. It had an unlived in quality about it that was both impressive and unsettling. Also I noticed my trunk set by the window.

"I'll be just outside when you're ready but do be quick our guests have arrived." She said with the slightest bit of agitation.

"Oh I know, I saw Gerard already." I said not even liking the sound of his name coming out of my mouth.

"Well he obviously isn't the only one!" She exclaimed, "Guests Master Louis GUESTS!" And with a pop she was gone.

If the pressure hadn't been on before it certainly piled on after that. I had no idea how many people would be waiting downstairs but knowing Vincent and the world he lived in I didn't expect anything less than the entire Slytherin house downstairs gathered in a sea of green and black. I looked over the room and my eyes fell on a set of clothes laid neatly on the bed: A pair of grey slacks, matching vest, muted lavender button down, and sage green tie. I instantly recognized the colors as the bundle of clothes Vincent had thrown at me earlier in the evening. I could have sat there and admired the quality of the clothes for hours but a sharp knock on the door from Madeline implored to dress quickly. I looked myself over in the full length mirror hanging on the back of the door and I was surprised at how well his clothes fit me. I'm sure there had been some sort of charm on them at the time but it was nice to pretend that we were that much alike in body type. It made me feel closer to him.

XxX

When I assumed that all of Slytherin would be downstairs it was a bit of an exaggeration. As it turns out it was only every third year Slytherin but even so that was upwards of two hundred students. I stood at the top of a grand staircase looking over all the other students in the grand hall dressed to the nines. Everything in the hall was bathed in a silver light coming from floating candles charmed to mimic the soft light of the moon beaming through the floor to ceiling windows. There were dozens of wreaths and Christmas trees going the length of the room and three different fireplaces all a blaze.

"Louis!" I heard someone shout from in the crowd of the people. It wasn't more than a second before I locked onto Violet hurrying towards me drink in hand and in a yellow dress with embroidered dragons flying around on the fabric. As customary she had a flower in her hair, this time a golden orchid, "How have you been?" She asked pulling me into a hug. I had forgotten how much I missed her and graciously returned the embrace.

"It's been eventful. You look fantastic love, you're glowing! Who have you been snogging?" It was amazing. Only a few seconds in her presences and I was already back in my Slytherin ways. She had that affect on me where as I would always get nervous around Vincent or intimidated by Gerard. I had truly found a friend in her.

"Oh you're filthy! Come get a drink. Everyone is waiting for you!" With that she grabbed my hand and pulled me into the quagmire of posh preteens. We made our way to a large table covered in decadent desserts and elegant glasses filled with different colored drinks. Waiting by the table were Nathan, Vincent, and Gerard each with a different drink.

"So this is dinner?" I said sarcastically to Vincent.

"Only if you can afford it." Nathan retorted

"Well you missed dinner." Vincent said playfully. I had been lost upstairs for much longer than I thought.

"It's good to see you Louis. I didn't know you were coming." Nathan said

"Apparently he didn't know the rest of were either!" Gerard said draping his arm over my shoulders. I want to say that my first impulse was to shake him off but it wasn't and that bothered me, "My fault I suppose. I may have told a little while lie—all in good fun I assure you."

"I'm sorry, I should have said something. I assumed—" Vincent began

"Oh no Vincent you know what happens when you assume!" Gerard said mockingly wagging his finger.

"You make an ass out of you and me." Vincent said not amused.

"No…you drink!" Gerard exclaimed being greeted with cheers from the rest of the group. Gerard began to chant "drink" at the top of his lungs and soon the rest of the party joined him. Bashfully Vincent took the glass he was holding and pressed it to his lips. Egged on by the other students he swallowed the entire glass till not a drop was left. The room erupted into shouts and he looked towards me with a dazzling smile. I felt myself fall even deeper for him.

"Louis you look a little dry there, let's get you a drink." Violet said leading me towards the table.

"What do we have?" I tried to sound as experienced as possible because truth be told I had not touched alcohol up until that point. Luckily Violet didn't catch on.

"Well her this one, the yellow one, is just champagne nothing special. The fun starts with the other drinks—" Her face lit up as she explained each one.

There was a green drink called Salazar that contained Fire Whiskey and a blue drink called Blu.V that possessed a little Veritaserum. It was known as the ultimate inhibition stripper. It wasn't as strong as the pure potion but it was common knowledge that whoever had one too many would be losing any sort of truth telling game. There was an orange drink (the one Vincent downed in a matter of seconds) which was called Sorridere and possessed traces of Induced Euphoria Potion. That drink is self explanatory. Then there was a rose red drink that seemed very popular among the guest. I looked around and almost everyone had one. She explained to me that this drink was called Sueur de Veela. It was fire whiskey with a mild love potion. I noticed anyone drinking it at the party was extraordinarily friendly with anyone they came in contact with. By process of elimination I figured Blu.V and Sueur de Veela would not be good choices for me given the company I was keeping so I chose to go with Sorridere. It tasted like ginger ale with a bit more bite. Even with one sip I could feel the effects of the drink. I couldn't explain it but my mood was instantly lifted and anything negative I felt (including any uneasiness around Gerard) was instantly gone. I made a point to stick with that drink for the remainder of the night.

I had to admit that it felt good being with my Slytherin friends especially after the debacle that was the Weasley family Christmas. This party had an air of sophistication that the rustic setting of a Weasley Christmas just couldn't match. I felt like I was twice my age. I couldn't remember a time I had that much fun since before I went to Hogwarts. Violet, Nathan, Gerard, and Vincent had become my go to people. If you had told me two years ago at my sorting that I would find solace in four of the most prominent members of the Slytherin house in my year I would have probably scoffed at you. Honestly, if you had told me two years ago that I would not be on speaking terms with my best friend and cousin Lily I would have probably punched you in the face…had I had the disposition for such things. I found myself wishing that Hugo had been there at the party. He would have felt so out of place but I really wanted to show him just how civil the Slytherin's could be. They aren't these monsters that our siblings and cousins paint them to be. In all fairness my family, the Gryffindor's were proving to be the monsters in the situation. I don't mean to sound as if I was friends with these people or embraced being a Slytherin just to rub it in my family's, mostly Lily's, face but their red and gold self righteous hubris did not make the transition difficult.

XxX

I was now on my fourth or fifth drink at this point and was feeling on top of the world. The affects of the potion and the alcohol were really taking affect. I found myself sitting on the stairs with Vincent, Gerard and Nathan watching the rest of the party play out before us. I had danced so much me feet were begging for a break but Violet was still going strong dancing with anyone who wanted to. I had never seen her that open to other students before and I wasn't sure if I would again after that.

"I don't know how she does it. I swear she's part Cornish pixie or something." Gerard said with a smirk. The rest met his joke with hearty laughter…well all except Nathan who rarely laughed.

"Don't let her hear you say that. She'll curse you into next term!" I said, the affects of the potion still working their magic.

"I _dare_ her!" Gerard said shoving me lightly

"Don't test her. She'll probably do it just to do it. Violet has never needed a reason to make your life hell."

"Oh sod off I'm going to go get a drink. Do you want anything?" He asked looking at Vincent over his shoulder who nodded in affirmation.

"She's something isn't she?" Nathan said taking another sip of his drink.

"She is." Vincent said watching her intently. I couldn't help but get lost in my imagination wishing he would look at me that way. We sat there watching Violet twirl around the room in her golden dress, the orchid in her hair catching the glow of the candles in the air.

"So you and Violet?" Gerard said to Vincent handing him a drink. This instantly shook us from our dream like state. I looked up at Gerard with a shocked expression on my face.

"So the dead has arisen I see." Gerard said mockingly before turning his attention back to Vincent.

"Well she fancies me. I'm not sure what else I can say on the matter." He took a sip of his drink.

"Well do you fancy her? I feel like that would have been the obvious question to answer." The subject at hand began to make me sick to my stomach and I could feel my contempt for Gerard rising in my chest.

"I'm not sure. I actually haven't given it much thought. I think I could fancy her." At first I chalked his answer up to just being polite and then I noticed the drink in Vincent's hand was a sapphire blue.

"Well she's the prettiest girl in our grade, well next to Louis here of course." Gerard said gesturing towards me with his drink.

"Lay off Gerard." I spat not in the mood.

"Touchy!" Gerard said grimacing at me.

"This is all true but her looks alone are no reason to fancy her." Vincent said trying to quell the argument.

"Well you guys are already friends so you can skip the getting to know each other stage. And your families are pretty much attached at the hip. It's a marvel you two aren't arranged to be married." My entire body tensed up at the thought of them being married and that's when I saw it. Gerard had a glint in his eye that was unmistakable. He had noticed my reaction and his serpent like mind was putting the pieces together.

"Gerard you're ridiculous…but I can't say that I disagree with you." Vincent said with a smile.

"Well what's stopping you?" Nathan chimed in, "Do you fancy someone else?"

"I—" Vincent began

"What do you think Louis?" Gerard asked with a false sense of naiveté.

"About what?" I said trying to bide my time but Gerard was too quick witted for that.

"Do you think Vincent and Violet should be a couple."

"Well if he doesn't want to—" I began

"I didn't ask you what he thinks. I asked do you think they would make a good couple." I remained silent. I could feel the nerves etched onto my face, "Is that a no?" I stayed silent as Gerard continued to coil around my throat, "Don't tell me you have a thing for Violet or…no…maybe—"

"You should date her." I said flatly. I looked up at Vincent with the thickest mask I could muster, "You two would be perfect together."

"You really think so?" Vincent asked quietly.

"I do. I really do." I said with a smile. Vincent looked as if he was about to reply but his face suddenly became tense.

"What are the lot of you doing sitting around looking pensive?" Violet said walking over towards us. She was met with an awkward silence, "What…is there something on my dress?" she said flattening the fabric with her hands.

"Violet—dance with me." Vincent said stretching out his hand. She looked at him confused for a moment before taking his hand and dragging him to the middle of the crowd. It took everything I had not to break down into tears.

"Just perfect together." Gerard said sitting down next to me. I kept true to my Slytherin code and refused to let him see me break.

"Utterly perfect." I said toasting his drink with mine. I could feel his hazel eyes trying to read me but he wasn't going to win. Not this time.

XxX

The shrill chirping of birds bought me to consciousness and the sun soon followed pinching at my eyelids with its unwelcome light. After the initial shock of waking up, my head began to pound terribly and I made a promise to myself never to drink that much again in my life. It wouldn't be the last time I made that promise. I crawled out of bed and made my way to the mirror where I noticed the tear stains on my cheeks. It was then that all the happenings of last night came to me which did nothing to help my headache. I had for all intensive purposes pushed Vincent into the arms of Violet all just to save my own ass. To add insult to injury my best friend, Gerard, had proven his Slytherin heritage. What I couldn't figure out is why he would do that to me. He had always been playful but this was different. He had some sort of agenda. Confronting him wasn't an option. I thought if I just ignored it and pretended that nothing bothered me everything would be fine. No one had to know that I was gay and no one would have to know that I liked Vincent. All I had to do was lie and that was something I had become accustomed to over the years.

"Louis?" I heard Nathan call from behind the door before knocking, "Are you awake?" I wiped the tear stains from my face and added a yawn for good measure before opening the door.

"Yeah, Good morning." He nodded in reply.

"Hungry?"

XxX

"Well that was something." Nathan said taking a bit out of a left over macaroon.

"Truly. Is it always like that?" I asked helping myself to the many desserts on the kitchen island. It goes without saying that Vincent's kitchen was just as majestic as the rest of the house.

"Usually. I was surprised it took him so long to invite you but to be honest we weren't sure if you were going to last."

"Was I really that bad?"

"If I had a chocolate frog for every time we heard you crying—"

"Alright I get it you arse!" I said throwing a mini éclair at him, "So are you ready to go back?"

"To Hogwarts? Absolutely. It's so boring being home."

"I'm surprised. You never seem to be enjoying yourself at school."

"Louis, I never seem to be enjoying myself anywhere."

"Very true," I said stifling a laugh, "I feel the same way. I never thought that I would grow to miss Hogwarts. I have the lot of you to blame for that."

"Friends will do as friends will do." He said matter-of-factly.

"I suppose they will." I heard Gerard say from the doorway, "I see you two have started without me. A little romantic breakfast for the two love birds?" He said helping himself to the desserts.

"Not so much. I'm saving my appetite for your troll of a mother." Nathan said stoically.

"Oh you're so funny Nathan you should have your own muggle television show!" He said taking his annoyance out on a lemon square, "So what is the plan for today?"

"Where are Vincent and Violet?" Nathan asked.

"Still in bed. The two of them stayed up all night talking. No need to thank me, just call me Cupid." The last thing I wanted to do was thank him and I had a list of things to call him before Cupid.

"Well we just can't leave without them." I said hiding my contempt.

"True. So what do you think they were talking about? Do you think it's official?" I could tell he was only trying to get at me.

"I could care less." Nathan said making his way out of the kitchen, "If nothing is happening I'm going back to bed."

"No need for that we're up." I heard Vincent say before stepping into the kitchen Violet soon coming in after him.

"Well the coven is all here." Gerard said pouring himself a glass of orange juice, "Whatever are we to do now?"

"Feeling up to a game of keep away?" Vincent said with a gleam in his eye.

"At this hour!" Violet exclaimed, "It's not even noon!"

"What better time to play? You're on mate." Gerard said after gulping down his juice.

"I guess I'll play too." Nathan said, "It isn't like there is anything better to do."

"Well you can count me and Violet out." I said grabbing her hand and smiling at her, "We're much too pretty for this kind of thing."

"Fine by me. We'll let the ladies sit this one out." Gerard said mockingly but I was not amused.

"Lay off Gerard, you can be a real prick some times." Vincent said giving him a shove. Gerard looked at him completely confused for a second before sucking his teeth and sending a sneer my way.

"Whatever. Let's just hurry up and play." And with that he left the kitchen.

I looked towards Vincent and couldn't contain the smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. He returned it briefly before exiting the kitchen after Gerard followed by Nathan.

"So do you want to watch from the terrace?" Violet asked me shaking my arm.

"Sure. Sounds like a plan." I guess I had been staring at his retreating frame for too long, "So Gerard tells me you stayed up late last night talking with Vincent." I asked cautiously as we made our way upstairs to get some coats before heading outside to the terrace.

"We did but it was nothing out of the ordinary. It was nice though."

"I'm sure." I said feeling uncomfortable but I couldn't hold my curiosity, "So are you two together now?" I blurted out.

"What? No not at all!"

"Really?" I said with a tad too much excitement but she didn't pay any mind to it.

"No. Honestly Louis you think one dance and some small talk is going to win me over? I'm not some cheap date like I mean really how—"

"Okay Violet I understand." I said calming her down.

"Oh come on, we've got to go they're going to start the game soon."

"So you actually want to watch?"

"Shut up and grab that plate of macaroons that was on the counter, I'll meet you on the terrace." And bounded up the stairs before I could protest.

With no one there I couldn't help but allow a smile to run across my face and a few tears to trail to my chin. Despite Gerard's best efforts I still had a chance. I won't lie and say that I wasn't wary of how Vincent was on the fence when it came to starting something with Violet but knowing that nothing had happened as of yet gave me hope for the future. I really had to thank Gerard for waking me up and putting things into perspective. I couldn't just wait around in the shadows and hope one day that Vincent would sweep me off of my feet. At any moment he might just find someone else and I will have missed my chance. So it was in that moment that I decided Vincent was going to be mine by the end of this term. I look back at such a grand promise and can't help but feel foolish. As cliché as it is—things don't always go according to plan.

(A/n: Thanks for staying with me guys. Sorry it takes me so long but I figured I would update 2 for the price of 1 to apologize. Don't forget to review. Again thank you for reading =] )


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